Report: Packers Make Trade Calls on Colts All-Pro DT DeForest Buckner

The Green Bay Packers are working the trade market for help in the trenches. The Packers have made trade calls inquiring about Indianapolis Colts defensive tackle DeForest Buckner, per multiple sources, according to reporting on Thursday. Green Bay's need is desperate: both Javon Hargrave and Jonathan Ford have landed on injured reserve, backup Anthony Campbell was limited in practice with an ankle injury, and while the team added former first-round pick Mazi Smith earlier this week, he has struggled to stick as a starter since entering the league in 2023. Former seventh-round nose tackle Jordon Riley was designated to return from IR last week, but the interior remains razor-thin heading into the grinding middle of the season. Buckner, a multi-time Pro Bowler and one of the league's most disruptive interior rushers, would be a high-end answer — though prying him from Indianapolis would likely cost real draft capital with the trade deadline approaching. The report lands as the Packers push to shore up a unit that was already under strain before the latest wave of injuries hit.