Positional Breakdown for Packers 2021 Needs

What Green Bay Needs to do in Order to get to the Super Bowl

The Green Bay Packers had, in the eyes of some fans, a disappointing end to the season as they fell to the eventual Super Bowl winners, the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, in the NFC Championship game. Obviously after the season was over it became clear what the team needed and what General Manager Brian Gutekunst needs to review both in terms of the roster and the salary cap.

Quarterback:

Starter: Aaron Rodgers

Backups: Jordan Love, and Tim Boyle (restricted free agent)

Obviously looking at the QB position the Packers seem to be in a great place to make another deep playoff run. Aaron Rodgers is arguably the most talented quarterback in the game of football, and there is not a lot of movement at all that needs to be done here. I would be interested to see what the Packers do if Jordan Love becomes the number 2 QB on the team as the Packers decided to use a first round pick on the former Utah State man. Rodgers does have 3 years still left on his contract and will be a 37.2 million cap hit on the team, by far the most expensive. The Packers could do some restructuring of his contract in order to clear up somewhere around 16-17 million if Rodgers would be willing to do that. I do not see Boyle returning for 2021 and so if the Packers want to pick up a cheap third UFA I would not be opposed to it.

Running Back:

Contracted: AJ Dillion, Patrick Taylor, Dexter Williams

Free Agents: Aaron Jones, Jamaal Williams

The draft pick of Dillion was one I was excited about as he was quite a standout at Boston College and was a worthwhile pick in order to have some padding if either Williams or Jones were to leave. The Packers need to do what they can in order to keep Aaron Jones as he is an emerging talent and could honestly be a top-5 running back in the league if he stays in the Packers system. The team needs to find the money in order to keep Jones or worse case scenario bring back Jamaal Williams on a team-friendly deal. However, if it seems unlikely that Jones or Williams will return the starting job becomes Dillion’s to lose as the depth outside of him at the current moment is on the weaker side. Dillion had some flashes this season with being a power back and the ability to get downhill easily. Dillion seems to also have a good relationship with LaFleur and works well within the system so if it does seem as though he will be a starter during the season, the Packers could probably find a cheap veteran in free agency or again try to build through the draft with a mid round draft pick.

Wide Receiver:

Contracted: Davante Adams, MVS, Devin Funchess, Equanimeous St. Brown, others

Free Agents: Allen Lazard (RFA), Tavon Austin (UFA)

Green Bay should have no issue bringing back Lazard as he began to emerge into his own this year and in the playoffs with some drops in between but the young wideout seems to be doing decent for the most part. Funchess will be returning after opting out of last season due to the COVID-19 pandemic, but the question remains, Will he actually contribute anything substantial to the team in the upcoming season? I don't believe so, and with Will Fuller going to be a free agent the Packers should find some contract restructuring of some players and go out and give Davante Adams a complimentary partner. The problem in the last two or three seasons is that Adams will be double or tripled covered and the remaining options such as Lazard and Valdez-Scantling cannot always be guaranteed to bring in the catch. Someone such as Fuller who is a fast outside presence could allow for better 1-1 situations for himself or Adams. This could also open up for Valdez-Scantling to be the big wide receiver on the outside with his 6’5” frame. The money could be freed up somewhat by getting rid of St.Brown or someone like Funchess who probably will not contribute much to this team going forward. Another option for Green Bay would be to use a first-round pick ON THIS POSITION. Rodgers has two career TD passes to first round picks and both of them were to Mercedes Lewis. The team needs to improve this position and going through the draft would be the cheapest way for the team to get better.

Tight End

Contracted: Jace Sternberger, Josiah Deguara, Dominique Dafney

Free Agents: Mercedes Lewis (UFA), Robert Tonyan (RFA)

The Packers Tight End situation revolves around one name and that’s Robert Tonyan, plain and simple. Tonyan had an explosive season for the Packers and needs to be brought back and be the starter going forward. Lewis I believe unfortunately has reached his end in Green Bay and the contract needed to bring him back would not be feasible with other positions on the team that are of more importance. Green Bay should probably look to extend Tonyan without having to go through the RFA tender. The ability to bring Tonyan back would create a really strong grouping at the position and allow for other positions to be sought after in this offseason or through the draft. As helpful as Lewis has been on the blocking end for Green Bay as well as 2 touchdowns in his time with the Packers, his age is catching up with him and it is more than likely time to move on.

Offensive Line:

Contracted: Bill Turner, David Bakhtiari, Elgton Jenkins, Rick Wagner, other backups

Free Agents: Corey Linsley (UFA), Lane Taylor (UFA), Jared Veldheer (UFA)

Green Bay has had one of the strongest offensive lines over the past few seasons with much of that coming from star left tackle David Bakhtiari, as well as Corey Linsley being a strong presence at center. Unfortunately seen through several outlets there apparently has not been much contact between Green Bay and Linsley and there does seem to be much hope that the team will be bringing him back for the upcoming season. Although it is tough to lose Linsley after an All-Pro season someone such as Jenkins, or Wagner could move into the position and draft three offensive lineman in the sixth round last year it seems as though the Packers were preparing to lose some depth on the O-Line. However, this is a spot where the team can create some cap space in order to sign someone such as Fuller or some players for the secondary of which I’ll get into later. The two key contracts on the line to re-structure would be either Bill Turner, or Bakhtiari as both of the two studs take up a lot of cap space for the team. Drafting a right tackle could be a smart idea for the team moving forward as Bakhtiari is not getting any younger and Wagner being cut from the team before the season gets under way, clears up a bit of cap for the Packers and allows for a possible free agent signing .

Defensive Line:

Contracted: Kenny Clark, Dean Lowry, Kingsley Keke, Anthony Rush

Free Agents: Montravious Adams (UFA), Tyler Lancaster (RFA), Damon Harrison (UFA)
This position has been a personal frustration of mine for several years now as the Packers are continually being exposed by teams with strong running games and their inability to stop the run. I believe a lot of this can be broken down into the fact that Green Bay usually runs a 3-4 defense, instead of running a 4-3 and having more pressure on the line every down. Although the Kenny Clark extension was great as he is one of the better nose tackles in the game, there have still been some weaknesses in the middle. I thought the singing of Damon Harrison was a good addition for the run defense as he is another body on the line to close the gaps, and he might not be a bad option for the team to bring back for another run if they can get him on a veteran minimum deal for the upcoming season. Also, the signing of a new defensive coordinator in Joe Barry could also bring some light to this defense and possibly the team could switch to the 4-3 defense, which I feel as though will benefit them in the long run. Barry is also a defensive mind who has been great at building linebackers and was a part of the historic “Tampa 2” defense from the Buccaneers Super Bowl winning team in 2001, in which from 2001-2006 the Buccaneers defense allowed the fewest passing yards per game. I hope to see his first year in Green Bay turn out to be a highly productive one.

Linebackers/EDGE

Contracted: Za’Darius Smith, Preston Smith, Rashan Gary, Jonathan Garvin, Kamal Martin, Ty Summers, Krys Barnes, Oren Burks

Free Agents: Christian Kirksey (UFA), Randy Ramsey (RFA), James Burgess (UFA)

This is a position that gives coordinator Barry plenty of opportunity to work with as there are a good mix of both veterans and a bunch of young hungry guys looking for a way to make a name for themselves. The release of Kirksey does leave some indecisiveness as to who is going to be the central play caller for the inside, as both Preston and Za’Darius Smith play on the outside and use a great mix of coverage and blitzing from the edge. Rashan Gary has also started to come into his own a little bit since last season, and could be seeing a bigger role more on the defensive end side of things if Barry decides to run the 4-3, or as an outside back in the 3-4 scheme as well. The guys in the middle that definitely need to be thought about would be Kamal Martin, Krys Barnes, and Oren Burks all guys who are under 25 and have plenty of opportunity to start hitting their athletic prime. This is exactly where Barry made a name for himself in developing linebackers and having all the young healthy potential in the middle makes the opportunity for this defense to grow exponentially from its linebacking core. An example of what Barry was able to do was obviously helping the Buccaneers defense in the early 2000’s but also his experience developing someone such as Corey Littleton on the Rams rise to prominence and how strong their linebacking core became. The opportunity for a big jump in the production of the linebacking unit is something Packers fans should definitely be excited about in 2021.

Cornerbacks

Contracted: Jaire Alexander, Josh Jackson, Ka’dar Hollman, Keivarae Russel, Stanford Samuels, Innis Gaines

Free Agents: Kevin King (UFA), Chandon Sullivan (RFA), Parry Nickerson (RFA), Kabion Ento (RFA)

WOW! This position is so paper thin it truly is almost laughable. Jaire Alexander could arguably be a top 5 cornerback, even top 3 if you really want to argue about it and then everything else just goes downhill from there. Kevin King and Chandon Sullivan were absolutely 100% dominated in the NFC championship game and showed that Green Bay probably would not be willing to bring these guys back for another season. This leaveon the outside opposite of Jaire Alexander and the slot has been a weak spot for the team since their Supers two big holes for the start of the secondary unit as they are now without a number 2 cornerback to play on the outside opposite of Jaire Alexander and the slot has been a weak spot for the team since their Super Bowl win. Green Bay’s best option here would be to try and either trade for a middle of the road cornerback or go through the draft. I feel as though the most feasible option for Green Bay is to try and draft correctly and get another guy that can play well alongside Alexander who is becoming an elite cornerback. However, a one-man island can only do so much and if Green Bay truly wants to make a Super Bowl run and get another ring for Aaron Rodgers this is the position that needs to be solidified before the season starts. Without having much depth at this position the defense would definitely drop drastically in its production from last year. Packers fans can just hope that this position is being discussed heavily within the front office. Hoping for positive things to come in this upcoming season.

Safety

Contracted: Darnell Savage, Adrian Amos, Vernon Scott, Henry Black, Ray Wilborn,

Free Agents: Will Redmond (RFA), Raven Greene (RFA)

This part of the secondary is already far and away much better than that of the cornerback position as both Savage and Amos are two younger guys who are under contract for another few years and have been relatively healthy so far. There are some younger guys behind them but would definitely be feasible if anyone needed to step up in a safety slot. There is not much Green Bay needs to do at this position going forward as they have their Free and Strong Safety locked up for a few years going forward, however using a later round draft pick to just add more depth is not a bad thing. Amos and Savage played really well last year, and this will hopefully be more of the same production heading into the 2021 season.

Kicker/Punter

Contracted: Mason Crosby, JK Scott, others

Green Bay has still one of the most solid kickers in the game with Mason Crosby who has come up so clutch in many moments in his tenure with Green Bay, and has yet to show any glimpses of decline. Green Bay will probably keep him around for a few more years but with a young kicker in the wings that Green Bay does have signed it definitely adds some competition for Crosby to make sure he stays on top of his game going forward. JK Scott is a punter that seems to have settled well in Green Bay and is a fine punter to have and from what I have seen watching him play there does not seem to be any need to get rid of him going forward. He has good accuracy and strong power to get the ball down the field. Once again Green Bay does have another punter signed to the team at the moment so it just in general keeps the competition there for Scott, although it is extremely unlikely that he would lose the starting job heading into this season.

Green Bay has a solid roster that is deep enough to make another playoff run, but there are some holes that need to be filled in before next season. Adjusting the lack of depth mostly on the defensive end of the ball would allow them to be a sure fire team in the Super Bowl. Unfortunately Packer’s fans, we will just have to wait and see. #GoPackGO