Just because the 2024 NFL Draft and subsequent undrafted free agent frenzy are over for the Green Bay Packers does not mean the work is. At this point in the offseason, teams will double back with veterans who are still looking for a place to play in 2024, waiting for the perfect opportunity.
While roster spots have been filled by players from the 2024 NFL Draft class, there are still plenty of solid veterans available on the free agent market. One of those players is offensive lineman, Jonah Williams.
Williams was a second-round pick of the Dallas Cowboys in the 2018 NFL Draft and spent his first four seasons in the NFL with the franchise. The last two he spent with the Miami Dolphins, cementing his status as one of the better interior linemen in the league.
Last season, Williams recorded a PFF grade of 86.5, which was his career best. But, offseason surgery has likely led to what has been a cold market for the former Texas Longhorn to this point.
His availability could present some excellent value to a team looking for more experience and insurance on the interior in the trenches. The Packers are one team that could fit the fill, as Gordon McGuinness of PFF has linked Green Bay as the top landing spot for Williams.
“At this point in the offseason, his best route to a long-term contract might be to sign a short-term, prove-it deal, and the Green Bay Packers could use the competition with Josh Myers at the position. Myers was one of the lowest-graded centers in the league in 2023, earning a 54.7 PFF grade. While the Packers also added Jacob Monk through the draft, Williams’ experience when fully healthy could be vital for a team that should be a competitor in the NFC in 2024,” wrote McGuinness.
This line of thinking certainly would make sense for the Packers. There have been rumors that they are considering a move for Pro Bowl right tackle Zach Tom to the interior, where some evaluators believe he has Hall of Fame potential.
With first-round pick Jordan Morgan in the mix as an option at tackle, the chance to move Tom to center exists. Or, the Packers could move Tom to guard to replace Jon Runyan Jr., who signed with the New York Giants in free agency.
As McGuinness noted, a draft pick was used on Jacob Monk in the fifth round, so Josh Myers will have some competition already. But, relying on a fifth-round rookie with expectations as high as the Packers have heading into 2024 would be risky. Bringing in a player of Williams’s caliber would be a low-risk, high-reward move for a franchise on the rise in the NFC.
More must-reads: