The Green Bay Packers have always been a team that primarily builds through the draft. General Manager Brian Gutekunst has done an admirable job of assembling young talent throughout the roster. The time has come to make a big decision on a key player on defense – interior defensive linemen TJ Slaton is set to hit unrestricted free agency. Although Slaton has expressed that he is keen to remain a Packer, he will be a costly signing. Here is an analysis of how much Slaton will cost the Packers to re-sign this offseason.
Green Bay Packers – TJ Slaton Was One of the Top Interior Linemen in 2024-25
Although Tadarrell “TJ” Slaton is far from a household name, it doesn’t mean he hasn’t been one of the most productive interior linemen in the league. Drafted by the Pack in 2021 out of the University of Florida, Slaton’s output has far exceeded his 5th Round draft status and has been a top run defender in the NFL since.
In 2023-24, Slaton was in the top ten in Run Stop Win Rate (RSWR) according to ESPN. RSWR measures whether the defender was able to meaningfully beat a block on running plays. Last year, Slaton was 9th in RSWR, winning 39% of blocks on run snaps despite having a double-team rate of 41%.
This year, Slaton was even better. As his double-team rate flattened to 36%, his RSWR accelerated to 46%, good for 1st in the NFL over the course of the season. While he did play fewer defensive snaps than in the previous year, the increased production is still encouraging. There’s no doubt that Slaton’s agent will be presenting these advanced analytics to make a case for his client.
Although Slaton drew ire from fans following his unnecessary roughness penalty against the Eagles during their season-ending loss in Philadelphia, one play does not take away from Slaton’s body of work over the course of his Packers career.