(Photo by Michael Reaves/Getty Images)
The Green Bay Packers are everyone’s darlings right now in the NFL following a 2023 season in which they unexpectedly surged late and upset the Dallas Cowboys in the wild-card round of the playoffs.
They look loaded on offense with rising star quarterback Jordan Love and young wide receiver studs such as Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, Christian Watson and Dontayvion Wicks, but their defense could be a work in progress.
On Tuesday, Adam Schefter reported that the Packers had signed defensive end Zach Morton, who went undrafted out of Akron University a year ago.
Former Lions DE Zach Morton agreed to a one-year deal with the Packers, per @seanstellato.
— Adam Schefter (@AdamSchefter) August 6, 2024
Morton played his last two seasons of college football at Akron, and prior to that, he spent two seasons at Syracuse University.
In the 2022 season, he recorded 4.5 sacks, eight tackles for loss and three passes defended.
Last season, the Packers ranked 10th in points allowed, but there were some holes in their defense, particularly their run defense, which ranked 28th in yards given up.
In the divisional round of last year’s playoffs, they went up 13-7 shortly after halftime, but they allowed San Francisco 49ers running back Christian McCaffrey to log 98 yards, including two touchdowns in the second half, resulting in a 24-21 loss.
Green Bay has a pair of studs at linebacker in Rashan Gary and Preston Smith, but they could use some reinforcements along their front four.
It is unlikely Morton will receive any meaningful playing time, but added depth never hurts, especially when a team such as the Packers is being pegged as a Super Bowl contender.
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