A mechanism receives memory reads and writes from a packet processing engine, each memory access having an associated packet identifier or sequence number. The mechanism is placed between a processing element and a memory system such that write data is buffered and information based upon reads and writes is recorded. Information is maintained, including a write dependency list, allowing for the detection of memory conflicts. When a memory conflict is detected, a restart signal is generated and the entries for the associated sequence number are flushed. Further, the write dependency list is consulted to determine if other packets have been potentially corrupted and also need to be flushed. Upon detection of dependent packets that have potentially been corrupted, further packet restart signals are generated and sent to the packet processing engine.