The Green Bay Packers continue searching for help on the defensive line as injuries mount, and one national writer has pointed them toward Indianapolis Colts defensive tackle DeForest Buckner as a potential answer.
CBS Sports’ Zachary Pereles, in his NFL trade deadline matchmaker published Monday, named the 32-year-old Buckner as Green Bay’s solution on the interior. Pereles wrote, “The solution: DL DeForest Buckner.”
Pereles cited Buckner’s desire to win, the Colts’ struggles and the Packers’ injuries as reasons the move could make sense. He also noted that Buckner’s age and expiring contract could keep the price manageable, even after Green Bay sent significant draft capital to Dallas for Micah Parsons.
Buckner has recorded 31 tackles and four sacks through seven games this season while remaining productive for a Colts team that fell to 2-5 after a 16-10 loss to the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday. The two-time All-Pro has not requested a trade. Colts.com’s JJ Stankevitz reported that Buckner was focused on preparing for Minnesota rather than entertaining trade talk.
Indianapolis fired general manager Chris Ballard after a 2-4 start, putting several veterans under scrutiny. Buckner is in the final year of a two-year, $46 million extension he signed in 2024, giving the Colts a decision ahead of the Nov. 10 trade deadline.
Green Bay has clear reasons to pursue a veteran up front. Javon Hargrave suffered a season-ending Achilles injury and was placed on injured reserve. Jonathan Ford was also placed on injured reserve with a calf issue. The Packers have been playing without Parsons, who is working back from a torn ACL suffered last season and remains on the reserve/PUP list.
The defense has held up despite those absences, but a 4-3 record leaves little room for error in a competitive NFC North where every team is above .500. Green Bay forced two fumbles against Detroit in Sunday’s 20-17 loss and stopped the Lions on a key fourth down late, yet could not close out the game.
There has already been reported contact between the teams. Packer Report’s Easton Butler reported that Green Bay called about Buckner and Grover Stewart, with Indianapolis reportedly asking for a second- or third-round pick for Buckner.
The cost could extend beyond draft picks. Packers cap analyst Ken Ingalls warned that Green Bay lacked enough available space to take on either contract without restructuring other deals or having Indianapolis cover part of the salary.
“The Packers currently do not have enough cap space to trade for either player. They would need to restructure existing contracts and/or have the Colts eat a portion of the deal in order to make it work,” Ingalls wrote.
Buckner’s $26.6 million full-season cap charge would not simply transfer, but the remaining salary remains a hurdle. Green Bay also traded its 2026 and 2027 first-round picks to Dallas for Parsons, limiting available draft capital.
Pereles views Buckner as a manageable target in terms of compensation. The salary cap, however, presents a separate challenge for Green Bay’s front office as the deadline approaches.
Another veteran inside could help stabilize the Packers’ front while Parsons works toward his return. With the Nov. 10 deadline less than two weeks away, both sides face decisions on whether a deal can be completed.
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