Packers receive the draft update they were hoping to avoid, and it could cost them valuable capital in 2027
The Dolphins placed quarterback Malik Willis on injured reserve with a groin injury, and his missed snaps now factor into the NFL’s compensatory formula.
The Green Bay Packers received the one update they did not want to hear about the draft. The Miami Dolphins placed quarterback Malik Willis on injured reserve with a groin injury, and that could impact the Packers’ 2027 compensatory pick, according to Over the Cap’s Nick Korte, who does extensive work tracking the compensatory formula.
When Willis signed a three-year, $67.5 million contract with the Dolphins in free agency, Green Bay was set to receive some type of compensatory pick. However, it was uncertain whether that pick would be a third- or fourth-rounder.
The NFL’s formula takes multiple factors into consideration. Salary is the biggest one, but the formula also considers how many snaps a player takes in the first season of his new deal, as well as individual awards.
How the injury changes the math
According to Korte, the four games Willis will miss while on injured reserve could be enough to change the return. Instead of a third-rounder, the Packers would receive a fourth-round pick in 2027 for losing Willis in free agency.
That’s not what Green Bay wanted. A third-round pick would be key for the roster next season, and the gap between the third and fourth rounds is significant in terms of value.
Green Bay’s full compensatory haul
The Packers are slated to receive four compensatory selections next year, including the Willis pick:
- Quarterback Malik Willis (Dolphins): third- or fourth-round pick
- Wide receiver Romeo Doubs (New England Patriots): fourth-round pick
- Linebacker Quay Walker (Las Vegas Raiders): fifth-round pick
- Edge defender Kingsley Enagbare (New York Jets): sixth-round pick
Offensive tackle Rasheed Walker signed with the Carolina Panthers, but his departure will not qualify because his contract is smaller than the Enagbare deal with New York. No team can receive more than four picks for losing free agents.
Green Bay signed only one qualifying free agent this offseason, and that was cornerback Benjamin St-Juste. The Packers did that by design because they didn’t want to lose those compensatory selections. Signing a qualifying free agent cancels out a compensatory pick, but the team had five qualifying free agents leaving. Therefore, general manager Brian Gutekunst had room to add one.
The Packers made more moves, but they didn’t count toward the formula. Signing wide receiver Skyy Moore wasn’t expensive enough to qualify. Green Bay also added defensive tackle Javon Hargrave in free agency, but the Minnesota Vikings had released him, so he was not eligible to impact the formula either.
Miami’s starting quarterback over the next few games will be another former Packer. Kyle McCord will take over, and the Dolphins acquired him right before the regular season, sending Green Bay a sixth-round pick in the 2028 draft.
A strong return on a seventh-rounder
Malik Willis played two years in Green Bay, covering the 2024-25 seasons, after the Packers acquired him from the Tennessee Titans in 2024 for a seventh-round pick. It turned into a great deal. Willis started three games and made 11 appearances for the Packers, playing at a high level with six touchdown passes and no interceptions.
Nonetheless, the trade keeps paying off even after his departure. Willis is still generating a compensatory pick for Green Bay, but the latest projection now places that pick in the fourth round instead of the third.
