The Green Bay Packers have traded defensive tackle Colby Wooden for former Indianapolis Colts off-ball linebacker Zaire Franklin, according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport. After Kenny Clark was traded to the Dallas Cowboys, the Packers moved to Wooden as the starting nose tackle in 2025, after Wooden played three-technique early in his career in Green Bay.
Without Wooden, Green Bay is strongly expected to be in the tackle market as they search for his replacement. Wooden is in the final year of his rookie contract and is about to enter the 2026 season.
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Franklin has been solid in the past, but Pro Football Focus earned a 38.4 grade in 2025, ranking him No. 87 out of 88 qualified linebackers in the scouting service. His base salary this year is projected to be $6.24 million, with bonuses averaging $765,000 per game, meaning the Packers are back under the salary cap after previously converting Xavier McKinney’s salary into bonuses.
It was reported this week that the Packers are in talks with off-ball linebacker agents at the NFL scouting combine, which is interesting for a few reasons. First, the team doesn’t need to enter the off-ball guard market if they don’t let starter Mike Qui Walker hit free agency. Take this as a sign that Walker is about to hit the open market.
Second, Green Bay is expected to transition to a 3-4 defense under Jonathan Gannon, based on comments from general manager Brian Gutekunst and a quarter system tree primarily within the 3-4 league range. The need for a starting linebacker means Edgerrin Cooper will likely continue in the role at Will linebacker that he has played his entire career. Ty’Ron Hopper is an undersized linebacker who can only play Will’s position at the NFL level. It looks like Hopper will be Cooper’s backup going forward.
Franklin, a 2024 All-Pro, will likely start in place of Isaiah McDuffie, who should be on the depth chart as backup Mike linebacker. The last time the Packers ran a 3-4 defense under Joe Barry, Green Bay typically kept just four off-ball linebackers on the 48-man roster on game days, while Jeff Hafley’s 4-3 defense typically only kept five off-ball linebackers.
Unless the team brings in a backup, the Packers will likely go with a four-man lineup in 2026.
We will continue to update this article as more details emerge.