Brinson, Stackhouse Bring ‘Love-Hate Relationship’ from Georgia to Packers

For five seasons, Warren Brinson and Nazir Stackhouse frequently lined up next to each other on Georgia’s powerful defensive lines.

Their “love-hate relationship” has migrated about 1,000 miles north to Green Bay, where both players are rookies on the Green Bay Packers’ defensive line.

Brinson, who was mostly a backup at Georgia, was a sixth-round pick in this year’s draft. Stackhouse, who was a three-year starter at Georgia, went undrafted.

At times last week at Packers training camp, Brinson and Stackhouse lined up next to each other. It was just like old times, a pair of 300-pounders with a “G” on the helmet looking at each other before the snap.

“It feels natural, honestly, because when we were together at Georgia playing with each other, that’s the biggest thing,” Brinson said. “It just feels super-natural being out there with one of my brothers, and I’m really happy that he came here. We’re just trying to make this like another Georgia D-line.”

Stackhouse started 42 games during his five seasons and was second-team all-SEC in 2023. Brinson started only eight games, four apiece in 2023 and 2024. Yet it was Brinson who was drafted while Stackhouse had to sort through offers as an undrafted free agent.

Not that he’s upset that his friend and teammate was drafted in front of him, but did he find how the draft played out a bit odd?

“I don’t think of it like that. Warren’s a great player,” Stackhouse, who was open about overcoming narcolepsy, said. “They got two good players. You know what I mean? And I’m sure it was hard to gamble who to get, who to draft. But they got two really good players and it’s going to show on the field. Me and Warren, obviously, we did our thing for five years at Georgia. For us to be on the same team in the NFL, it’s a blessing. It’s almost crazy.”

As a draft pick, Brinson has an inevitable head-start on making the roster. That’s the reality under general manager Brian Gutekunst, who tends to be patient with his draft picks.

Me and Warren have a love-hate relationship. Like, he’s a knucklehead. Warren’s a knucklehead.Nazir Stackhouse on Warren Brinson

After a quiet start to camp, he’s been coming on strong. He was productive last week and disruptive under the lights on Family Night.

“I feel like I’m getting better every day, and that’s the goal is to keep getting better,” Brinson said. “I’m trying to help this team be a contender. I’m trying to play. I’m not coming here to ride the bench.”

Having gone undrafted, Stackhouse faces a longer road to a roster spot. However, the Packers gave him a $15,000 signing bonus and guaranteed $150,000 of this year’s base salary. That’s a total of $165,000 in guarantees – the most the Packers have ever given to an undrafted free agent and more than the seventh-round picks received.

“I want more. Yeah, I want more. So, I’m striving to get more,” Stackhouse said. “They want to give me $150,000, that’s great, but I just want them to know that I’m going to get more and I’m going to show you why I should have more.”

So far, he’s backed up the talk. For much of last week, Stackhouse had leap-frogged not only Brinson but third-year player Colby Wooden, a former fourth-round pick, to take second-team reps alongside Karl Brooks.  

“The progression has been great. It’s been good,” he said. “Obviously, playing this game, you’re going to learn a lot from a lot of different guys, a lot of different coaches, so the progression has been going up. There’s still a lot more that I can learn. And, shoot, me just maintaining that same effort every day at practice, just doing what I do, that’s going to help with that progression, as well. Even if sometimes I think I’m having a bad practice, I know that my effort is going to help me, too, on the field.”

With TJ Slaton leaving in free agency, there’s a giant hole in the middle of Green Bay’s defense and the defensive tackle depth chart. That means there’s a legitimate opportunity for one or both of the Bulldog buddies to make an immediate impact.

“Being on the same team, it’s like we know what to expect from each other,” Stackhouse said. “We know how each other plays on the field. We can trust each other on the field. We just know. We just know. It’s like a different thing. Me and Warren have a love-hate relationship. Like, he’s a knucklehead. Warren’s a knucklehead. But he does push me and I push him. There’s some things he can say to me, and there’s some things I can say to him, and we don’t take it personally.”

Brinson laughed when told of their “love-hate” relationship.

“We push each other to be the best that we possibly can be, honestly,” Brinson said. “That’s like my brother. We were roommates freshman year. I never had a brother growing up. Being roommates with Stackhouse, it’s like having a brother. We just push each other to be the best we can possibly be. When I see him do good, I commend him. When he sees me do good, he commends me. If he makes a bad play, I get on him. …

“It just helps me feel comfortable because I know my boy’s going to do his job, I’m going to do my job and we’re going to feed off each other.”