The Green Bay Packers are not usually an active team ahead of the NFL trade deadline. General manager Brian Gutekunst has never traded for a veteran before the deadline since taking over the front office in 2018. With the deadline arriving Tuesday, though, the latest intel shows exactly what the Packers’ priorities are.

According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Packers have considered making trades before the deadline, and two positions in particular are on their radar: offensive line and running back.

Why deadline deals are hard to pull off

Gutekunst has never pulled the trigger on a veteran trade right before the deadline, but that doesn’t mean Green Bay hasn’t tried. Back in 2020, the Packers considered a trade for wide receiver Will Fuller, for example. At the time, Green Bay reportedly offered the Houston Texans a fourth-round pick, but Houston wanted a second.

That’s usually how these negotiations play out. Selling teams want to recoup significant draft capital, while contending teams want players at manageable compensation. And that’s because the players on the block are often on expiring deals, which means the buyer might only be getting half a season of production.

The salary cap adds another layer. At this point of the season, contenders could be without much cap flexibility. The combination of draft picks and contract numbers tends to make deals complicated.

Interior offensive line remains the biggest concern

Fowler’s report isn’t a surprise. Pass protection and, in particular, the run game have been the two biggest issues for the Packers this season, and the interior of the offensive line has been a major problem.

Green Bay has signed three offensive linemen since the start of the regular season. Laken Tomlinson has started five games, four at left guard and the most recent one against the Carolina Panthers at right guard. The Packers also added Mekhi Becton and Kevin Zeitler, but neither has played on offense yet.

The Packers could still consider guard options. Green Bay was interested in Quenton Nelson before the Indianapolis Colts traded him to the Seattle Seahawks. There has also been some chatter about Philadelphia Eagles guard Landon Dickerson as a possibility too.

Running back and the Jonathan Taylor question

The backfield is the other spot to watch. The Packers have struggled to generate yards after contact, and even Josh Jacobs hasn’t been as productive as expected. Jacobs also missed the first six games of the season while on the Commissioner’s Exempt List.

There’s still a chance Jacobs could miss more time if the NFL suspends him for more than six games. That uncertainty makes running back a position where the Packers could take advantage of the market.

The one player Green Bay wants is Colts running back Jonathan Taylor, but Indianapolis is still asking for a big trade package, something inspired by what the San Francisco 49ers paid to acquire Christian McCaffrey four years ago. That’s a high price for a player who doesn’t play a premium position. Other options are available, but Taylor is the biggest name on the market.

The question now is whether the Packers can find a player worth the package on both fronts: the draft capital going out and the financial impact on the cap. Any deal has to make sense for Green Bay, and that’s a fine line to walk.