The Green Bay Packers have a long history of signing former Bears players who arguably played better on the frozen tundra than they did while wearing a Chicago uniform.
Julius Peppers and Adrian Amos are two of the more recent names to do so, and it’s possible a third gets added to the list this offseason.
SB Nation took a look at “players from rival teams” in the NFC North to “see who might be a fit” for the Packers. The conclusion? One Bears player “belongs” in Green Bay: defensive end Darrell Taylor.
“The Chicago Bears are good at two things: being worse than the Green Bay Packers, and getting guys on defense who can cause problems for opposing QBs,” SB Nation noted, adding:
“Taylor arrived in Chicago via trade in August of 2024, and right out of the gate had 2 sacks and a forced fumble. He finished the season with just 3 sacks and 2 forced fumbles, so there was a definite slowdown after his Week 1 performance. However, with 31 pressures in 2024 (compared to Lukas Van Ness’s 20), I think Taylor is skilled enough at getting after the QB that he would make a great rotational piece for a Jeff Hafley defense.”
Some Background on Taylor & His Recent Stats
Selected in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft (48th overall) by the Seattle Seahawks, Taylor’s rookie season was derailed due to an offseason surgery to address a leg injury sustained during his collegiate tenure at the University of Tennessee. He spent his entire rookie campaign on the non-football injury list.
Taylor made his debut in 2021 season, playing in 16 games and starting five. He finished with 6.5 sacks, also finishing with 37 total tackles and a forced fumble.
Building on his solid sophomore season, 2022 saw Taylor play even better, tying for the team lead with a career-high 9.5 sacks and ranking third in the NFL with four forced fumbles. He amassed 5.5 sacks in 17 games (five starts) the following year in 2023.
In August of 2024, the Bears traded for Taylor, sending Seattle a sixth-round pick in the upcoming draft. In his lone season with the Bears, Taylor played in 16 games, netting 3.0 sacks, 32 total tackles and 2 forced fumbles.
Should Green Bay Packers Attempt to Sign DE Darrell Taylor?
He’s not starting material, but Taylor has demonstrated consistent sack production throughout his career. His ability to pressure opposing QBs would help address the Packers’ need for a more formidable defensive front.
Financially, acquiring Taylor would certainly be feasible. He isn’t coming off that stellar of a season, and he shouldn’t command much. And Green Bay could use some depth on the edges.
Despite recording 45 sacks — ranking them 8th in the league — the Packers’ pass rush was uneven at times last season.
A significant portion of these sacks came from a few standout games, like their eight-sack performance against the Tennessee Titans and a seven-sack outing against the Seahawks. Excluding these two games, the Packers averaged just over 2.0 sacks per game in the remaining 14 contests, which would rank them 22nd in the NFL.
Additionally, the team’s pass rush win rate stood at 35%, ranking 26th in the league, which underscores the defense’s struggle to consistently disrupt opposing offenses.
Rashan Gary, while earning Pro Bowl honors in 2024, experienced a slow start with only two sacks in the first eight weeks, though he improved to 5.5 sacks in the latter half of the season.
Adding multiple pass rushers –Taylor is still just 27 and could have some untapped potential — has to be high on the to-do list for the team this offseason.
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This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
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