An Iowa undrafted free agent who has built a lasting NFL career almost entirely on special teams.
Kristian Welch has stuck around the NFL for six seasons on the strength of his special teams play, bouncing between Baltimore, Green Bay and Denver before landing back with the Packers. The Wisconsin native and Iowa product remains one of Green Bay's top special teams contributors.
Path to the league
Welch played four seasons at Iowa, appearing in 46 games with 16 starts and recording 168 tackles while serving as a defensive captain his senior year and earning All-Big Ten honorable mention. He went unselected in the 2020 NFL Draft and signed with the Baltimore Ravens as an undrafted free agent.
Career highlights
Welch spent his first three NFL seasons in Baltimore before moving to Green Bay in 2023, then back to Baltimore and briefly to Denver in 2024. He has built his career primarily as a core special teams player rather than a defensive regular, appearing in dozens of games across six seasons.
2025 season recap
Welch played eight regular-season games for the Packers in 2025, working mostly on special teams, before an ankle injury in a Week 16 overtime loss to the Bears sidelined him for the final three games of the season.
Sources
- Wikipedia: Kristian Welch
- Pro Football Reference: Kristian Welch
Statistics
2025 season and career2025 Season · Defense
8 games played▶Defense · career
| Year | Team | GP | TOT | SOLO | SACK | INT | FF | FR | PD |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | packers | 8 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | broncos | 6 | 8 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | ravens | 9 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2024 | 2024 Totals | 15 | 13 | 7 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2023 | packers | 14 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2022 | ravens | 17 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2021 | ravens | 16 | 13 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| 2020 | ravens | 10 | 5 | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
Player Profile
Background
- Position
- Linebacker
- Group
- defense
- College
- Iowa
- Hometown
- Iola, WI, USA
- Age
- 28
- Status
- active
