Isaiah McDuffie took on a bigger role in Green Bay’s defense in his fourth year in the league and was rewarded by the Packers in the form of a two-year, $8 million deal before he could hit free agency at the expiration of his rookie contract.

What did the Packers see over the last couple of years that made them want to keep McDuffie around, rather than looking to replace him either internally or externally? Here is his statistical profile after two seasons of regular playing time:

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Strengths

Even in the modern NFL, the primary responsibility of a linebacker is to tackle, and that is McDuffie’s only consistent strength according to the numbers. It is a hugely important one though, and a sure-tackling linebacker should not be taken for granted.

Among qualified linebackers, he ranks in the 78th percentile in missed tackle rate since 2023, having missed on only 8.4% of his attempts in that time.

He has been an active player and rallies to the football, ranking in the 89th percentile in assisted tackles over the last two years. McDuffie has 124 tackles and 58 assists in the last two campaigns combined.

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Weaknesses

There are not many areas McDuffie truly struggles in, but he is not a playmaking linebacker, and that shows up in the stats. He falls in just the 21st percentile for turnover worthy plays per snap (TWP/S) since 2023, with zero interceptions and just one forced fumble.

McDuffie is not especially explosive and has not been used much as a blitzer. He did not have enough pass rush snaps to qualify for a ranking in 2024, and he was a below average pass rusher in 2023 when he did get some opportunities.

He has been an easy target in coverage at times, ranking in the 31st percentile in NFL passer rating allowed (NFLPR), and just the 17th percentile in stops (tackles resulting in a failure for the offense) in the passing game.

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As he saw the field more in 2024, McDuffie did not tangibly progress in many aspects of his game, although there were a few areas of improvement.

After ranking in the 15th percentile in penalties committed per snap in 2023, being flagged twice in limited playing time, he did not commit a single penalty last year despite playing 177 more snaps.

His one forced fumble came in 2024, lifting him from the bottom of the league to the 44th percentile in TWP/S.

In the run game, his average depth of tackle (AVDT) ticked up from the 32nd to the 41st percentile, showing he was able to make more plays around or behind the line of scrimmage.

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McDuffie also disrupted passes more regularly last season, grading out in the 60th percentile in forced incompletion rate (FI%), up from the 28th percentile in 2023.

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Becoming more of a full-time player often means being put in more compromised situations, and McDuffie was exposed in some aspects after his playing time increased in 2024.

He was a less effective run defender down to down, as his ranking for solo tackles fell from the 83rd percentile to the 10th between 2023 and 2024. McDuffie made two fewer tackles last year than in 2023 despite the additional 177 snaps played.

His stop rate in the run game also dropped from the 50th percentile to the 21st. There were also issues in coverage as he was asked to contribute there more regularly.

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McDuffie went from the 53rd percentile in reception percentage allowed (REC%) to the 27th, and his yards per snap (Y/SNAP) ranking plummeted from the 79th to just the 2nd percentile in 2024.

Overall, McDuffie is a just below average NFL linebacker, which equates to a league average number two ‘backer. The Packers are paying him to be their number three and they have not had to pay much to secure his services for another two years.

He is safe, which has value, but will never be especially exciting or difference-making. The re-signing made sense for Green Bay, as they do not have to rely on Ty’Ron Hopper being ready to start in base defense this year.

If Hopper does make real progress, the Packers can release McDuffie in 2026 if they wish, and due to the structure of the deal vis-a-vis his pro-rated signing bonus, would essentially have paid him $4.3 million for one year of work.

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With the more boom/bust nature of Hopper and Isaiah Simmons, McDuffie is a welcome known quantity. Perhaps if Quay Walker and Edgerrin Cooper can stay healthy, Green Bay can get back to using him in more advantageous situations for his skill set, and increase his effectiveness as a result.

This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Stats explain Isaiah McDuffie’s true value and why Packers paid him