The Green Bay Packers don’t have many must-sign players among their approaching free agents, but this veteran was an invaluable addition on defense and special teams. Green Bay, Wisconsin – The Green Bay Packers do not have a large number of free agents to re-sign this offseason. Only center Josh Myers played at least two-thirds of Green Bay’s 11 unrestricted free agents’ snaps in 2024. Pro Football Focus chose linebacker Eric Wilson as the one free agent the Packers “can’t afford to lose.”
“The Packers have major questions at linebacker, aside from standout rookie Edgerrin Cooper,” PFF’s Dalton Wasserman noted. “Wilson represents a good depth option who flashed some play-making ability across his 559 snaps in 2024.” Wilson played 51.2 percent of defensive snaps and a team-high 321 snaps on special teams (72.6 percent). He finished seventh on the team with 63 defensive tackles, including two sacks, seven tackles for loss, one interception, one forced fumble, and two passes defensed. He also finished tied for second on special teams with nine tackles.
The numbers are stunning. However, once Quay Walker suffered an ankle injury in Seattle, forcing him to miss the final three games of the regular season, more was expected of Wilson. Not only did he enjoy a significant increase in playing time, but he also became the every-down linebacker and green-dot communication specialist. “He’s got to get the call from me, he’s got to give that to everybody, he’s got to make checks up front, he’s got to make checks behind him, he’s got to calm everything down, he’s got to get certain guys lined up,” defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley said after Wilson replaced Walker in Seattle.
“Eric is a really smart player. Getting that green dot halfway through a game is not easy. Some of our calls can be really lengthy. So, for him to make a tackle, get up, brush off whatever occurred, assemble everyone, tell everyone the call, hear something else, I might tell him what I think is going to tell this man or that guy, and then line up and make a close call, there is a lot that goes into it. He’s a veteran who brings a sense of calm. I believe he’s got success with that.”
In Week 17 versus Minnesota, Wilson played 72 snaps on defense and 23 snaps on special teams, for a total of 95 snaps. This was the second-most by any player in a game this season. “I think the No. 1 thing with Eric, he’s in supreme physical condition,” special teams coach Rich Bisaccia, who nicknamed Wilson “Body Beautiful,” said before of Week 18 against the Bears. “I believe he never loses attention during practice because he is weary for any reason. He never loses attention during the game. “He can play multiple positions.”
This encompasses all three linebacker positions on defense and all phases of special teams. Wilson moved from left wing on the punt unit to personal protector in Week 17 against Minnesota when Zayne Anderson sustained a concussion. “He’s able to just do all those things at a really high level,” says Bisaccia. Wilson, who turned 30 in September, started 12 games this season, the most since 2020, when he started 15 of 16 games for Minnesota.
He did not start a game for the Packers in 2022, when he was signed from the Saints’ practice squad early in the season, or last year. This year, however, he became a tremendous asset, recording an interception and forced fumble against the Colts, two sacks against the Texans, and three games with nine tackles. “I just think Eric’s a really tough, smart football player,” linebackers coach Anthony Campanile stated. “He arrived at camp in fantastic shape. He is a tough guy who is extremely attentive in his preparation.
When I say ‘a smart person,’ I mean the type of guy who understands why he is doing what he is doing and what everyone else is doing around him. Really coachable, fun to coach, and enjoyable to be around in the room. “I believed he was becoming better at everything we asked him to do since I got here. He’s the same guy every day, which is difficult to achieve in any line of life or occupation, especially professional football, but that’s one of the best things I can say about him.”
After the 2022 and 2023 seasons, the Packers re-signed Wilson to one-year contracts. Following Preston Smith’s trade, he became the only offensive or defensive player over the age of 30. While Edgerrin Cooper appears to be a defensive building block and former first-round choice Quay Walker is expected to return, Wilson and fellow linebacker Isaiah McDuffie are unrestricted free agents.
“Eric, that guy right there, he’s a guy that loves football like no other,” Cooper was saying.
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