A surprising development around the NFL could help the Green Bay Packers at the best possible time. According to The Ringer and Netflix insider Tom Pelissero, the NFL Management Council informed defensive tackle Zxavian Harris, one of the players who attempted and failed to return to college at LSU, that it has established the player never practiced and therefore is now available to play in the NFL once again, which means he’s a free agent eligible to visit and sign with NFL teams.

That ruling is particularly relevant for Green Bay, because the Packers tried out Harris before the league initially determined he would be ineligible to play in 2026. Now that he is cleared, the young defensive tackle is back on the market, and the Packers have a clear need at the position.

How Harris ended up back on the market

Harris signed with the New Orleans Saints as an undrafted free agent but later tried to go back to college and play at LSU. That plan ultimately fell apart because of how the college football world reacted to the proposition.

Initially, the league declared that Harris and the other players who tried to return to the NCAA would not be eligible to play in the NFL in the 2026 season. His situation is different because he never practiced at LSU after leaving the league, though. Therefore, the NFL Management Council cleared him.

Harris is a 6-foot-8, 330-pound defensive tackle. He played college football at Ole Miss from 2022 to 2025 and went undrafted this year. After that, he spent training camp and the preseason with the Saints. He didn’t make the 53-man roster in New Orleans, which led to the attempted return to college.

Packers’ depth issue at defensive tackle

The timing lines up well for the Packers, who are dealing with a real depth problem on the interior of the defensive line. Javon Hargrave suffered a ruptured Achilles and is out for the season. Warren Brinson is on injured reserve, and Jordon Riley is still on the physically unable to perform list.

That leaves Green Bay with five defensive tackles on the 53-man roster: Devonte Wyatt, Karl Brooks, Chris McClellan, Jonathan Ford, and Anthony Campbell. The team also has David Blay Jr. on the practice squad.

With that many injuries at one position, adding a rookie with developmental upside makes sense. Harris wouldn’t necessarily need to contribute right away. Green Bay could sign him to the practice squad for the rest of the season and let him develop, while keeping him available as an emergency option if more injuries pile up.

But more than that, this is a player the Packers already know to some degree. The workout shows they had at least some level of interest in Harris before the original ruling took him off the board. Now, the door that closed on Harris earlier this season is open again, and Green Bay has every reason to circle back and consider him at this moment.