Ranking Packers’ Needs at Start of NFL Free Agency
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Last offseason, Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst entered NFL free agency with one arm tied behind his back. And that was the one nearest the team checkbook.
With Aaron Rodgers’ contract out of the way, Gutekunst will enter free agency this week with wallet in hand. According to OverTheCap.com, the Packers are about $13.6 million under the salary cap. The upcoming release of De’Vondre Campbell won’t help that number in time to be helpful in free agency, though it will provide a critical source of money for in-season roster moves. A potential release of David Bakhtiari would push that figure past $34.5 million.
Here is a position-by-position overview of the Packers’ roster, ranked from greatest need to greatest strength.
Safety: Even if Darnell Savage, Rudy Ford and Jonathan Owens were under contract, this would be a need for the Packers. But they’re not. That’s almost 2,000 snaps headed to free agency.
There’s no reason to re-sign Savage. One pass defensed and 12 missed tackles last year? That’s a bad combination for what will be a critical position in new coordinator Jeff Hafley’s defense. Savage is a talented player; it’s perhaps best for both sides to move on. Owens and/or Ford would provide quality depth and a nose for special teams.
If the Packers had to play a game today, they would start Anthony Johnson Jr. and Benny Sapp. Fortunately for Gutekunst, safety is the best position in free agency.
Linebacker: The release of De’Vondre Campbell was expected, but it created a hole in the lineup. With Campbell joining Eric Wilson and Kristian Welch in free agency, the Packers’ starting trio in Hafley’s base defense would be Quay Walker, Isaiah McDuffie and Christian Young. Christian Young? Who’s that? He was an undrafted free agent out of Arizona last year who ended the season on Green Bay’s practice squad.
It’s not quite as deep as safety, but there are a bunch of veteran linebackers available in free agency.
Offensive tackle: Whether or not Bakhtiari is on the roster by the end of the week is almost irrelevant. The Packers rolled into the divisional playoffs with Rasheed Walker at left tackle and Zach Tom at right tackle. The depth, though, is nonexistent as Yosh Nijman hits free agency. If they had to line up today, the swing tackle would be Luke Tenuta, who spent the year on injured reserve, Caleb Jones, who was inactive all season, or Kadeem Telfort, who spent the year on the practice squad.
Interior offensive line: With the expectation that Jon Runyan will sign elsewhere, the Packers are set to roll with Elgton Jenkins, Josh Myers and Sean Rhyan as the interior trio. That’ll work. The next man up at guard? Royce Newman, who has been demoted in each of his three seasons. The backup center? Tom, but then who would play right tackle?
Cornerback: The team’s full-time slot, Keisean Nixon, is headed to free agency. So is Corey Ballentine, who wound up providing unexpectedly quality depth with Jaire Alexander and Eric Stokes missing big chunks of the season.
Alexander and Carrington Valentine look like the starters, Stokes’ career has gone sideways after a superb rookie season and there’s nobody in the slot.
Running back: Now, the needs become much less stressful. Working under the premise that Aaron Jones will return, Jones and Emanuel Wilson would lead a potential post-AJ DIllon backfield. The Packers, obviously, need to have a third back, but that doesn’t have to be handled in free agency. Really, what makes the most sense would be drafting the future No. 1 back in the second or third round.
Specialists: Gutekunst probably will want to add competition across the board. They already have one at kicker, with Jack Podlesny signing shortly after the season ended, though that doesn’t preclude them from finding another challenger for Anders Carlson. Punter Daniel Whelan and long snapper Matt Orzech are flying solo on the roster.
And don’t forget the free-agent status of Nixon, the two-time All-Pro returner. Receiver Jayden Reed can handle return duties but that might not be ideal considering his importance on offense.
Defensive end: This is the old outside linebacker group. Rashan Gary, Preston Smith and Lukas Van Ness will lead the way, but the Packers will need a fourth with Kingsley Enagbare set to miss most of the season following the ACL injury sustained in the playoffs. Brenton Cox was a healthy inactive for most of the season and certainly can’t be written into that role in ink. Remember, with Enagbare out at San Francisco, Cox was inactive in favor of another undrafted rookie, Keshawn Banks.
Tight end: With Luke Musgrave, Tucker Kraft and Ben Sims, the Big Three from 2023 will return. What a powerful group. The need is to replace Josiah Deguara, who handled the fullback/H-back role the past few seasons. He played 196 snaps in 2023. Henry Pearson, an undrafted free agent last year, spent his rookie season on the practice squad and would be the front-runner for that role. Tyler Davis, who missed all of last season with a torn ACL but will be ready to go long before training camp, is a free agent, as well.
Defensive tackle: In the old 3-4 scheme, the Packers used three interior linemen in their base front. In the 4-3, they’ll only need two. Thus, the returning five-man group of Kenny Clark, Devonte Wyatt, TJ Slaton, Colby Wooden and Karl Brooks looks strong. While the Packers might draft one, there’s no reason to sign a veteran.
Quarterback: Jordan Love is going to have a truckload of cash delivered to his home in a couple months and Sean Clifford impressed throughout training camp and the preseason as a fifth-round rookie. So, the Packers are set atop the depth chart. However, as Gutekunst said at the Scouting Combine:
“Getting back to drafting multiple quarterbacks is something that I’ve wanted to do. We kind of went away from that for a few years and I’d like to get back to that because I just think having young talented quarterbacks on your roster that the coaches can develop, I just think is really healthy and important for a franchise.”
Receiver: Every snap, reception, yard and touchdown from last season is under contract for 2024 (and 2025, for that matter). By the end of the 2024 season, will the Packers’ group of Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, Bo Melton and Malik Heath be considered among the best in the NFL? It’s certainly possible, though the ceiling of the group is tied to Watson’s hamstrings. Last year’s seventh-round pick, Grant DuBose, is back, as well.
