Packers’ Free Agent Wish List Corresponds with Positions of Strength
GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers entered free agency with major needs at cornerback and on the defensive line. With the negotiating period under way on Monday, those are spots general manager Brian Gutekunst is targeting with “mid-level free agents,” according to ESPN.com’s Rob Demovsky.
Fortunately for the Packers, those remain positions of strength in free agency with Day 1 winding down.
While the edge-rusher group was hit hard and the New England Patriots seemingly signed anyone with a pulse, most of the defensive line and cornerback boards remained intact as of Monday evening. Of our top 20 defensive linemen, only three had agreed to terms. Of our top 20 cornerbacks, only two had agreed to a contract. Of our top seven slots, only one had agreed to a contract.
Green Bay has obvious holes on both units. At cornerback, starter Kevin King is headed to free agency, slot Chandon Sullivan probably won’t be tendered as a restricted free agent and Josh Jackson’s career took a wrong turn last season. On the defensive line, disappointing Montravius Adams, always-injured Billy Winn and veteran Damon Harrison are headed to free agency.
Help is available, and perhaps at a decent price.
Top 20 Unrestricted Defensive Linemen
SIGNED BY MINNESOTA: Dalvin Tomlinson, N.Y. Giants: A second-round pick in 2017, the Packers made a play for Tomlinson at last year’s trade deadline. It’s easy to see why. He’s started all 64 career games and is coming off back-to-back seasons of 3.5 sacks, though his forte is stopping the run. He batted down four passes and added 10 quarterback hits last year, both career highs. Of 86 interior defensive linemen with at least 200 pass rushes, he tied for 29th in Pro Football Focus’ pass-rushing productivity, which measures sacks, hits and hurries per pass-rushing snap. On running plays, he had seven tackles for losses, his average tackle was 1.5 yards downfield and he missed one tackle (2.0 percent), according to Sports Info Solutions. For his career, his average tackle came 1.6 yards downfield and he’s never been over 2.0 yards. He turned 27 in February.
RE-SIGNED: Shelby Harris, Denver: The Milwaukee native was a seventh-round pick by the Raiders in 2014. Of his 33 career starts, 27 came the last two seasons in Denver. He had six sacks and nine passes defensed in 2019, and 2.5 sacks, seven passes defensed and a career-high 11 quarterback hits in 2020. Harris ranked 25th in PFF’s pass-rushing productivity. (For perspective, Keke was 24th overall and No. 1 for Green Bay.) According to Sports Info Solutions, on running plays, he had two tackles for losses, his average tackle was 2.3 yards downfield and he missed four tackles (11.1 percent). He’s the best available player but his age – he’ll turn 30 during training camp – could work against him.
Jurrell Casey, Denver: Casey was Mr. Durable, missing only five games in his first nine seasons. However, he played in only three games in 2020 due to a torn biceps. The injury snapped a seven-year streak of at least five sacks and 10 quarterback hits. In his abbreviated season, he had no sacks, one tackle for loss, two quarterback hits and batted down three passes. If he returns to form, he might be the best two-way defensive tackle in free agency. From 2016 through 2019, he averaged 50.3 pressures, according to PFF. The past two seasons, by contrast, Lowry has a total of 44. From 2017 through 2019, Casey’s average tackle against the run came 1.6, 1.9 and 1.6 yads downfield, according to SIS. He turned 31 in December.
Sheldon Rankins, New Orleans: A first-round pick in 2016, Rankins has 17.5 career sacks. After starting all 32 games in 2017 and 2018 and piling up 10 sacks and 24 quarterback hits, he had 3.5 sacks and 14 quarterback hits in 22 games (one start) the past two seasons. Of 86 interior defensive linemen with at least 200 pass rushes, he tied for 33rd in PFF’s pass-rushing productivity. On running plays, he had three tackles for losses, his average tackle was 2.5 yards downfield and he missed one tackle (4.8 percent), according to SIS. He’s missed only two tackles in his career. He’ll turn only 27 in April.
Ndamukong Suh, Tampa Bay: The 34-year-old Suh, amazingly, has missed only two games in his 11-year career. A five-time Pro Bowler and a 16-game starter for the ninth consecutive season, he recorded six sacks – his most since 2015 – and 19 quarterback hits. He tied Denver’s Harris for 25th in PFF’s pass-rushing productivity. On running plays, he had five tackles for losses, his average tackle was 1.8 yards downfield and he missed four tackles (8.3 percent), according to SIS. Like him or not, he’s an ageless wonder still more than capable of playing 40-plus snaps per game. If you’re signing a guy for one year only, Suh might be No. 1 on this list.
DaQuan Jones, Tennessee: A fourth-round pick by the Titans in 2014, Jones has started all 16 games in five of the past six seasons. Last year, he had two sacks and set his career high with 49 tackles. He finished 55th in PFF’s pass-rushing metric, a couple spots below Lowry. On running plays, he had four tackles for losses, his average tackle was 1.8 yards downfield and he missed three tackles (5.9 percent), according to SIS. His average tackle has been at 2 yards or better the past four seasons. He’s 29.
SIGNED BY JACKSONVILLE: Roy Robertson-Harris, Chicago: An undrafted free agent in 2017, Robertson-Harris was quite a find by the Bears. All 13 career starts came the past two seasons, including six in eight games last year before going on IR with a shoulder injury. He averaged 10.5 quarterback hits the previous two seasons and was on pace for 10 in 2020. For his career, his average tackle has come 2.4 yards downfield and his missed-tackle rate is 9.8 percent. He’ll turn 28 before camp.
Kawaan Short, Carolina: The 32-year-old made the Pro Bowl in 2015 and 2018. After starting 62 of a possible 64 games from 2015 through 2018, he’s played in only five games the past two seasons. Thus, his last sack was in 2018. He’s had 11 quarterback hits the last three seasons compared to 17 in 2017 alone. In three games last year, he had no tackles for losses and his average tackle was 1.8 yards downfield. He’s 32 and is coming off season-ending surgeries on his left shoulder in 2019 and right shoulder in 2020.
Derek Wolfe, Baltimore: A second-round pick in 2012 by the Broncos, he played in 14 games (eight starts) in 2020, his first and only season with the Ravens. In 2019 with Denver he had seven sacks and 12 quarterback hits. In 2020 with Baltimore, he had one sack and four quarterback hits. But he tied his career high with 51 tackles. On running plays, he had a career-high eight tackles for losses, his average tackle was 1.7 yards downfield and he missed one tackle (1.0 percent), according to SIS. He turned 31 in February.
Quinton Jefferson, Buffalo: A fifth-round pick by Seattle in 2016, Jefferson signed a two-year, $13.5 million deal with Buffalo last offseason but was recently released. He started four of his 16 games and had three sacks and six quarterback hits; he averaged 12.5 quarterback hits his final two years in Seattle. He finished 37th in PFF’s pass-rushing productivity. On running plays, he had three tackles for losses, his average tackle was 2.1 yards downfield and he missed two tackles (8.3 percent), according to SIS. His career missed-tackle rate is a way-too-high 13.2 percent. He’ll turn 28 this month.
FOR DEFENSIVE LINEMEN 11-20, CLICK HERE.
TOP 20 CORNERBACKS
William Jackson, Cincinnati: A first-round pick in 2016, Jackson (6-0) missed his rookie season with a torn pectoral and gave up seven touchdowns in 2018 before finding his stride. According to Sports Info Solutions, he allowed a 46.3 percent rate in 2020 with two touchdowns allowed, one interception (two drops), 10 additional breakups and 7.1 yards per target. His missed-tackle rate was 6.3 percent. He has only three career interceptions but a career catch rate of a meager 43.1 percent. He’ll turn 29 at midseason.
Shaquill Griffin, Seattle: A third-round pick in 2017, Griffin (6-0) made the Pro Bowl in 2019 with zero interceptions but 14 passes defensed. In 2020, he had three interceptions – matching his career total – and 10 additional breakups but gave up a career-worst six touchdowns, 7.9 yards per target and a 61.3 percent catch rate. His missed-tackle rate was 7.5 percent. He’s got 4.38 speed and a knack for getting his hands on the ball, ranking 10th in the NFL with 48 passes defensed the past four seasons. He’ll turn 26 before training camp.
SIGNED BY DENVER: Ronald Darby, Washington: A second-round pick by Buffalo in 2015, Darby (5-11) has eight career interceptions. In 2020, he didn’t have any interceptions but deflected a league-leading 17 passes. He allowed a 52.9 percent catch rate and gave up one touchdown and 7.0 yards per target. His missed-tackle rate was 7.1 percent, his four misses a big improvement over the 19 whiffs the previous two seasons. He’s at his best in man coverage but the lack of interceptions is a blight on the resume. He and Griffin are tied for 10th with 48 passes defensed the past four seasons. He turned 27 in January.
Chidobe Awuzie, Dallas: A second-round pick in 2017, Awuzie (6-0) has 42 starts under his belt. He started six of his eight games in 2020, with a stint on injured reserve due to a hamstring. He has one interception in each of his four seasons. In his abbreviated fourth season, he allowed a 60.0 percent catch rate, gave up three touchdowns and yielded 10.8 yards per target. He added four breakups. His missed-tackle rate of 7.5 percent was a major improvement. He’s at his best in zone coverage and has 4.43 speed.
Xavier Rhodes, Indianapolis: A first-round pick by Minnesota in 2013, Rhodes (6-1) has played in 120 of a possible 128 games in eight seasons and recorded 12 interceptions. In 2020, his first season with the Colts, he intercepted two passes and broke up 12 others. He allowed a 44.8 percent catch rate and gave up five touchdowns and 6.9 yards per target. In 2019 with Minnesota, he gave up a 77.0 percent catch rate and 9.8 yards per target. His missed-tackle rate was 10.6 percent. He’ll turn 31 in June. Packers defensive passing-game coordinator Jerry Gray coached him in Minnesota.
Richard Sherman, San Francisco: An all-decade performer and three-time All-Pro, Sherman (6-3) played in only five games last season due to a calf injury. There were definite signs of age (he’ll turn 33 on March 30) before the injury. According to Sports Info Solutions, he’s gone from a catch rate of 39.1 percent in 2017 to 53.3 in 2018, 59.2 in 2019 and 61.1 in 2020. He allowed three touchdowns, had one interception and didn’t break up any passes. His missed-tackle rate was an awful 21.7 percent.
Quinton Dunbar, Seattle: Dunbar (6-2) has 31 starts in six seasons since entering the NFL as an undrafted free agent receiver with Washington in 2015. He has 10 career interceptions, with four of those coming with Washington in 2019. Traded to Seattle last offseason, he played in six games before being shut down with a knee injury that required surgery. In 2020, he intercepted one pass (dropped three others) and broke up three additional passes. He allowed a 56.4 percent catch rate and gave up four touchdowns and 8.7 yards per target. His missed-tackle rate was 8.8 percent. He’ll turn 29 before camp.
Darqueze Dennard, Atlanta: A first-round pick in 2014, some scouts believed Dennard would be the next big thing. That didn’t happen, though. He’s started 30 games in his seven seasons and intercepted four passes. He played nine games for Cincinnati in 2019 and eight games for Atlanta in 2020. That’s the bad news. But he allowed a catch rate of 41.4 percent in 2019 and 48.7 percent in 2020. His career missed-tackle rate is 5.6 percent. He’ll turn 30 in October.
Gareon Conley, Houston: A first-round pick by the Raiders in 2017, Conley (6-0) has played in just 31 of a possible 64 games. He missed the entire 2020 season following ankle surgery. After playing in only two games due to a shin injury as a rookie, he had three interceptions and 13 additional breakups in 2018. Before the trade deadline in 2019, he was shipped to Houston for a third-round pick. For his career, he’s given up a 53.6 percent catch rate and missed 12.4 percent of his tackle attempts. He’ll turn 26 in June and surely will get another chance.
Patrick Peterson, Arizona: The fifth pick of the 2011 draft, Peterson (6-1) was voted to the all-2010s team after being picked for every Pro Bowl from 2011 through 2018. However, with his 31st birthday coming in July, Peterson is not that player anymore. His catch rate has crept up from 45.6 percent in 2017 to 62.7 percent in 2020. This past season, he intercepted three passes (dropped two others) and broke up only four additional passes. He gave up a career-worst six touchdowns and 8.6 yards per target. His missed-tackle rate was 12.3 percent.
TOP SEVEN SLOT CORNERBACKS
Desmond King, Tennessee: A fifth-round pick in 2017, King (5-10) intercepted four passes, had nine additional breakups and added nine tackles for losses during his first two seasons to establish himself as one of the best slots in the NFL. His last two seasons, on the other hand, he had zero interceptions, four breakups and four TFLs. Splitting his 2020 season between the Chargers and Titans, he allowed a catch rate of 65.8 percent and 6.6 yards per target with two touchdowns allowed and two breakups. While the coverage numbers have dropped precipitously, he missed six tackles the past two seasons compared to 26 his first two seasons. He’s a proven weapon as returner (8.9 yards and two touchdowns on punt returns, 22.7 yards on kickoffs). At age 26, his career might depend on a return to form.
