If the Green Bay Packers miss on DeForest Buckner, they may already have the next name circled.
The Indianapolis Colts are headed toward a clear sell-off, and Green Bay is one of the teams paying attention. The Packers already dipped into Indianapolis once, bringing in former Colts linebacker Zaire Franklin on March 11, 2026. A second deal with the same team would fit the way Green Bay is approaching this season.
The main attraction remains Buckner, whose reported price tag sits at a second- and third-round pick. But Stewart could come much cheaper, with a fourth-rounder mentioned as the return.
That matters for a Packers defense that has been making noise all year. The group has been rolling in 2026, and much of that has been tied to the signing of Jonathan Gannon. Even without Micah Parsons, Gannon has turned into a one-man wrecking crew, and the players around him have delivered on the expectations.
Green Bay’s offense has had its rough patches, especially in the run game, but the defense has kept the team afloat by consistently bothering opposing quarterbacks. The season could have gone sideways early after a huge Week 1 loss to the Minnesota Vikings, and Bijan Robinson’s big Thursday Night Football outing snapped the team’s long home-opening winning streak.
Still, the Packers sit at 4-2, know Parsons is coming back, and have also dealt with a few season-ending injuries to other key players. A trade now would send the same message as the moves they already made to add a trio of offensive linemen and give Jordan Love more protection after an uneven start.
Stewart would bring experience and production. The 33-year-old has spent his entire career with the Colts after being taken No. 144 overall in 2017. He has 429 total tackles in 147 games.
This season, Stewart has 20 total tackles in six games, including 15 solo stops. He also has half a sack, three stuffs and a pass deflection.
Over his career, Stewart has forced three fumbles, with two of those coming in the last two seasons. He has 13.5 sacks overall, and nine of them have come since 2022. Durability is part of the appeal too, since he has played 17 games in four of his last five seasons.
In Other News...
Packers Rookie Is Already Making Draft Doubters Look Wrong
Dani Dennis-Sutton arrived in Green Bay with plenty of questions attached to him after the Packers made him a fourth-round pick, and some pre-draft evaluations wondered whether his pass-rushing ceiling would be enough to translate right away. Early in his rookie season, he has done more than answer those doubts. He has given the Packers another useful piece on defense, showing up against the run, playing with consistency and carving out a real role sooner than many expected.
The most encouraging part for Green Bay is how quickly Dennis-Sutton has turned limited opportunities into impact snaps. Even without a full workload in the pass rush, he has been one of the more productive rookies at getting after the quarterback, a sign that his game is already playing above the projection many scouts attached to him in the spring. For a defense looking for young, dependable contributors, that kind of early return matters. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Special Teams May Be Becoming A Real Edge At Perfect Time
Special teams has started to look like a real asset for Green Bay at a useful moment, and coordinator Cam Achord says the improvement has come from steady work behind the scenes as the Packers prepare for Detroit. He pointed to the value of the practice squad, the way snaps are being distributed among different players, and the recent lift in the coverage units as signs that the group is settling into a more dependable rhythm.
Achord also singled out kicker Trey Smack as part of that upward trend, noting both his progress and his readiness as he keeps getting more game work. The Packers have spent enough time this season looking for hidden edges that a cleaner special teams operation could matter more than it usually does, and this week offers another chance to see whether the field-position side of the roster is truly becoming a strength. [Read more 🡒]
Packers Have Put The NFC North Right Back In Play
After an opening loss, the Packers have steadied themselves with three straight wins and four victories in their last five, and suddenly the NFC North looks like a division with no easy path forward. Green Bay sits second in the standings behind Minnesota, but the broader picture is what matters for the Packers right now: all four teams in the division have winning records, and each one is staring at a schedule that should keep the race tight well into the winter.
Minnesota still holds the edge at 5-0, yet the Vikings have their own offensive concerns to sort through, and their remaining slate does not look forgiving. For Green Bay, the encouraging part is that the climb is already underway, and the margin for error across the division is thin enough that every week can reshape the conversation in a hurry. [Read more 🡒]