Packers sign defensive lineman Ricky Jean Francois

The Packers signed a free agent on Thursday, agreeing to terms with defensive lineman Ricky Jean Francois.

The Packers are notably quiet in free agency, at least in terms of bringing in outside talent, and this year has been no different. An upgrade has arguably been made at tight end, with Martellus Bennett coming and Jared Cook going, but Green Bay also lost two capable offensive linemen in T.J. Lang and J.C. Tretter.

The struggles of Green Bay’s pass defense last season made it easy to overlook that they were top-10 in the league against the run (94.7 yards per game; eighth). So run defense doesn’t stand out as a particular area of need, but the Packers went that way on Thursday.

According to Adam Schefter of ESPN, the Packers and defensive lineman Ricky Jean Francois have agreed to terms on a one-year, $3 million deal.

Jean Francois spent the last two seasons with the Redskins, appearing in all 32 games and starting seven while totaling 57 tackles and 3.5 sacks. But he was released on March 15, after Washington signed two defensive linemen to essentially replace him, and he was also publicly critical of the Redskins letting some notable players leave in free agency. Before meeting with the Packers, Jean Francois had visits with the Seahawks and Bears.

Next: NFL Power Rankings: Free agency grades

Datone Jones’ departure in free agency and Letroy Guion’s four-game suspension to start next season does, at a closer glance, leave the Packers looking a little thin along the defensive line. Jean Francois is plenty able to fill that void, as a proven run stopper and a nice fit as a 3-4 defensive end in Dom Capers’ defensive scheme. He also has experience playing nose tackle, and Jean Francois has played all 16 regular season games in six of the last seven seasons.