We’re facing significant uncertainty as we await news on Matt LaFleur’s contract extension, Jeff Hafley’s head-coaching opportunities, and the rest of the coaching staff’s fate. Whatever happens, we will learn a lot about the future of the Green Bay Packers soon.
For now, the information we have is in the roster, and there are many questions about how the Packers will allocate their limited cap space and few draft picks to fill out a good but flawed squad. The three most glaring holes on the roster as of today are at offensive line, defensive line, and cornerback.
Green Bay enters the offseason with limited resources. They don’t have a first-round pick and are effectively $33.1 million over the cap. Still, the Packers have avenues to get under the cap without losing much production.
They can start by cutting Elgton Jenkins and Rashan Gary, two of the more disappointing players this season. Both could be potential trade bait, but Green Bay would have limited cap space to work with until it moves them. Once those two are off the books, the Packers will sit around $4 million over the cap, which is pennies in the NFL. Green Bay will likely restructure and extend other contracts to get under the cap and create space.
With little cap space and draft picks, Brian Gutekunst and Russ Ball will have to work some magic and achieve a better hit rate in allocating their assets than last season.
Cornerbacks
Green Bay is likely to bring back most of that room. Nate Hobbs, Carrington Valentine, and Keisean Nixon are under contract and don’t give the Packers much cap relief if they cut them. If the Packers cut any of them, it’s for performance reasons, and I don’t see any reason for that given the group’s depth. However, I wouldn’t be surprised if they’ve already finished the Nixon and Hobbs experiments.
Green Bay has also started doing work in this room when they claimed Trevon Diggs off waivers. It makes a lot of sense for the Packers to chase after diminished veteran assets and reclamation projects in this room. However, Diggs’ contract doesn’t say “diminished asset.” He’s on the books for $15 million next season, but most of that money isn’t guaranteed. The Packers basically took on the contract to get his negotiating rights. They’ll either need to restructure his contract or cut him.
Beyond Diggs, Green Bay needs guys who can play now. They haven’t built out succession plans or drafted any developmental projects, and the guys they have now just weren’t good enough to be surefire starters. However, they’re good enough to be contributors, and integrating some vets into the group could bring out the best in them.
The Packers would be unwise to rely on a Day 2 pick to come in and make an immediate impact. They need guys who can come in and compete now.
Green Bay’s best avenue is to continue finding guys like Diggs via the free-agent pool or buy-low trade candidates, then allocate draft assets on Day 3 to find those developmental players for the succession plan. The best path forward is keeping Diggs, adding another buy-low, high-upside vet alongside a Day 3 pick or two, and hoping you can patch together a quality group.
Offensive Line
The Packers have a couple of questions of their own to answer before they start looking elsewhere. Last offseason’s prized signing, Aaron Banks, is due a lot of money and didn’t live up to the contract he signed. Many think it should be one-and-done with Banks, but the Packers don’t have the depth to justify that.
Once Banks got healthy down the stretch, he played much better football. With Rasheed Walker and Elgton Jenkins likely gone, and Sean Rhyan being a free agent, Green Bay would be left with three holes along the line if they also cut Banks. Jordan Morgan would fill the left tackle hole, but then they’re left with no one at left guard or center. Keeping Banks seems like a likely solution.
Then that leaves Rhyan. He’s an unrestricted free agent, and Green Bay needs a center. He played solidly at center following Jenkins’ injury. If Rhyan’s market isn’t robust – which I don’t think it will be — he makes a lot of sense to bring back. However, they’ve also been developing Jacob Monk.
If Green Bay likes what they’ve seen from Monk, it could make their decision on Rhyan or Banks easier. But if they let one of them leave, they’re left extremely thin on the line. So, regardless of what they do with their own players and free agents, Green Bay must draft at least one offensive lineman on Day 2 and at least one more on Day 3. If I had to bet on what position Green Bay most likely takes on Day 2, it’s an offensive lineman.
The Packers must allocate draft resources to the line. There’s an easy path for Green Bay to build out a solid starting offensive line. They can keep Rhyan and Banks and slot Morgan in at LT, but if they don’t keep one or both, they immediately need a starter or two.
Meanwhile, the depth and long-term solutions are the real issues. If they keep Banks and Rhyan, they could start next season. Still, they aren’t long-term solutions. Getting in talent now and developing them for years down the road is a must.
Defensive Line
The Micah Parsons trade depleted Green Bay’s interior defensive line. They wisely added Kenny Clark to the trade to get it done. However, the timing of the trade left Green Bay little time to fill out the room around Devonte Wyatt. That’s what this offseason will be about.
Getting Wyatt back will be huge. He held together the defensive front this season, and he’s truly the only starter they have. Colby Wooden had a solid season but is better suited as the third guy. The same goes with Karl Brooks. Rookie Warren Brinson also showed some potential, but none of these players were in the role they’d best excel in while adding to the strengths of Green Bay’s defense. Therefore, they must find a starter next to Wyatt.
If the Packers are going to spend real free-agent money somewhere, they should spend it at defensive tackle to add a vet who can start next to Wyatt. Filling that hole will go a long way and have a trickle-down effect throughout the whole room. Also, if the offensive line is where they spend one of their two Day 2 picks, I’d bet the other is on the defensive line.
Building out the trenches will be crucial this offseason. They failed the Packers down the stretch of the season and are the main reason they are at home right now. You win in the playoffs by winning in the trenches, and Green Bay has massive holes in its trenches on both sides of the ball. Allocating the few resources you have to patch those up is the best path to fixing this roster.