Green Bay Packers linebacker Isaiah McDuffie (58) was second on the team in tackles last season.
The Green Bay Packers went 11-6 last season, sweeping the NFC West and the AFC South along the way.
Overall, though, no one in the building was happy.
The Packers failed to build on their terrific finish to the 2023 campaign, settled for the No. 7 seed in the NFC playoffs, and lost a Wild Card game to eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia.
Afterwards, general manager Brian Gutekunst turned up the heat on everybody in the building.
“We need to continue to ramp up our sense of urgency,” Gutekunst said. “I think it’s time we started competing for championships.”
Those are fair expectations.
The Packers return 20 of 22 starters, and appear to have upgraded the roster via free agency and the draft. With several third and fourth year players trending upward, Green Bay should be poised to make a move.
“I think they’re ready,” Gutekunst said.
Now, it’s time for the Packers to prove their G.M. right.
Green Bay’s first training camp practice is July 23. Between now and then I will count down the ‘30 Most Important Packers’ heading into the 2025 campaign.
At No. 26 is linebacker Isaiah McDuffie.
No. 26
Isaiah McDuffie, LB
Last season
McDuffie started all 17 games last year and ranked second on the team with a career high 94 tackles. McDuffie added three tackles for loss, three quarterback hits, three passes defensed and a forced fumble.
According to Pro Football Focus, McDuffie had a respectable run defense grade of 66.5, which ranked 86th out of 189 linebackers. His coverage grade of 45.8 ranked just 148th, though.
McDuffie, a sixth round draft pick in 2021, then signed a two-year, $8 million contract in March.
Career to date
McDuffie saw limited playing time as a rookie in 2021, then tied for the team-lead with a career-high 13 special teams tackles in 2022. McDuffie saw action in all 17 games that season, made one start and finished with 30 tackles.
McDuffie then took on a far greater role in 2023 when injuries hit the position. With preferred starters De’Vondre Campbell (six) and Quay Walker (three) missing a combined nine games due to injury, McDuffie stepped in that season and played a career-high 513 snaps.
While McDuffie didn’t register a turnover play in 2023, he was extremely reliable and played with a ferocity the coaches loved. That eventually led to a bigger role in 2024 and a second contact with the Packers in March.
Outlook
Players like Edgerrin Cooper, Quay Walker, Ty’Ron Hopper and Isaiah Simmons might be more talented than McDuffie. But he might be hard to keep off the field.
McDuffie is as reliable as that 1970s Smith Corona Typewriter that sits in your basement, but somehow still works.
McDuffie played 64.2% of the defensive snaps last year, second-most in the linebacking group behind Walker (68.6%). And don’t be surprised if he matches that total again.
McDuffie will be challenged in training camp by younger or more athletic players. But all teams love consistency and reliability, which McDuffie provides.
They Said It …
“From the day we’ve had Isaiah, he’s done everything that we would ask for as far as the way he handles himself. He’s been an elite special teams player from the beginning, certainly started a lot of games at linebacker for us, so I just thought as we were talking, that that made a lot of sense to bring him back. He’s just a glue guy, does everything the right way and again, when you have a player of his caliber who’s been an elite (special) teams player and really performed very well every time you put him on the field on defense, it just made sense.” — Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst on re-signing McDuffie
“I’ve known Isaiah for years. I was with him at (Boston College), knew him a little before. You know, he’s a guy that you talk about play style, doing things the right way. He’s that type of guy, right? He’s going to show up every day and be the exact same person. He’s going to work harder than anybody. He’s going to study, he’s going to learn, he’s going to really pour everything he has into the Green Bay Packers. So I think when you get guys like that, it’s getting back a leader. It’s somebody people can follow.” — Packers linebackers coach Sean Duggan on McDuffie
“You want to talk about tough? That guy, you’ve got to give him so much credit for how much he cares about this team, for how badly he wants to play football. You talk about … what’s right about the sport. I love that guy.” — Packers defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley on McDuffie
