The Green Bay Packers have shifted the bulk of their attention toward the 2025 NFL draft later this month, but they are not quite done with free agency yet.

According to the team’s official transaction wire, the Packers signed former Baltimore Ravens linebacker and special-teamer Kristian Welch for the 2025 season, adding him as depth on a contract that Over the Cap lists as one year and worth $1.17 million.

Welch — who went undrafted in 2020 — has played for the Packers in the past. He spent the majority of the 2023 season on their active roster, playing 14 games and recording six tackles while playing exclusively in a special teams role.

While Welch missed the initial roster cut with the Packers in 2024, he played another 15 games last season with the Denver Broncos (six games) and Ravens (nine games), making his first two career starts and tallying 13 total tackles and a fumble recovery.

Welch will need to earn his roster spot with the Packers in training camp this summer, but it is possible the team is eyeing him as a replacement for veteran linebacker Eric Wilson — a core special teams player for them who signed elsewhere in free agency.

Welch has played 1,956 snaps on special teams across his five seasons in the NFL.

How Will Kristian Welch Impact Packers’ LB Rotation?

Welch is a necessary depth signing after Wilson walked in free agency, but whether he will have a role — big or small — with the Packers in 2025 remains undetermined.

The Packers are relatively strong at the linebacker position roughly two weeks out from the start of the draft.

Not only will they return former first-round pick Quay Walker and 2024 rookie standout Edgerrin Cooper as their primary starters, but they also signed a two-year, $8 million contract extension with key rotational linebacker Isaiah McDuffie.

Additionally, the Packers have 2024 third-round pick Ty’Ron Hopper looking to claim a bigger role with the team after spending most of his rookie season in the background. If he takes a step forward, Welch could have a difficult time making the 53-man roster — especially if the Packers add another rookie linebacker either during or after the draft.

Packers Could Add More LB Talent in 2025 NFL Draft

The Packers will have bigger priorities than their linebacker corps when they reach the draft in about two weeks, but a linebacker selection is not out of the question at all.

While the Packers likely feel good about their linebacker position for 2025, they also must decide whether they want to pick up Walker’s fifth-year option for 2026 before May 2’s league deadline.

If they do not exercise his option, the team will find itself on a fast track to needing another starting ‘backer even with Cooper and McDuffie in place.

The Packers could push off any major linebacker acquisitions until the 2026 offseason, at which point they will have another year to properly evaluate Cooper’s growth and Walker as a possible extension candidate.

Even still, drafting a linebacker in 2025 — even one on Day 3 — can give the team some insurance regardless of how things break.

The first round of the 2025 NFL draft will begin at 8 p.m. ET on Thursday, April 24.