The Green Bay Packers traded corner Rasul Douglas and a 2024 fifth-round pick to the Buffalo Bills in exchange for a 2024 third-round pick.
The decision to trade Douglas is an interesting one by the Packers. By all accounts, Douglas is one of the most respected players in the locker room. Following the team’s most recent loss to the Minnesota Vikings, Douglas met with players at his locker to go over what went wrong during the game.
Teammate and fellow corner Keisean Nixon shared his reaction to the news on Twitter.
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— K9 (@keiseannixon) October 31, 2023
Douglas has been a key contributor on defense ever since the team acquired him during the 2021 season. In 36 games, including 26 starts for the Packers, Douglas has totaled 174 tackles, 32 pass defenses, and ten interceptions.
This season, the Packers defense has done enough to keep them in multiple games but still ranks in the bottom half of the league in a number of key statistics. They are 21st in total defense, 20th in scoring, and tied for last in takeaways. Losing Douglas’ leadership and his reliable tackling and ball skills isn’t going to help.
Green Bay may be embracing the rebuild after all, after a 2-5 start. Douglas turned 28 just before the start of the regular season and may have not been in the team’s plans past 2023. His contract was set to expire following the 2024 season.
The Packers will get some cap relief from trading Douglas. According to Green Bay salary cap expert Ken Ingalls, they will save $864,706 in 2023 cap space and $6.5 million in 2024.
In terms of what this means for the defense, this will seemingly open the door for seventh-round rookie Carrington Valentine to get more playing time. Valentine was a standout performer in the preseason but hasn’t had the same success during the regular season.
This season has always been about developing the younger players and this move will allow the team to get a better look at Valentine.
Meanwhile, Green Bay has significant draft capital heading into 2024. After acquiring the Bills’ third-rounder, they now own five picks in the top 100. This will help to retool the roster with more young pieces.
