Packers Free Agents: King Only Defensive Starter

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Regardless of whether the salary cap plummets or the NFL and NFLPA find a way to keep it relatively steady during a pandemic, Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst will face a challenging offseason after falling short of the Super Bowl for a second consecutive season.

Whatever the cap number, only four teams are in worse shape than the Packers, according to OverTheCap.com. So, while maybe the team can avoid the wholesale slashing of veteran salaries, it won’t be able to win many bidding wars, whether it’s for retaining its own players or bringing in players from the outside.

Here’s a quick-hitting look at the Packers’ list of unrestricted free agents on defense. We’ll go into further detail on each player as the start of free agency on March 17 approaches.

CB Kevin King: Is there a player in the entire NFL who lost more money this season than King? In 2019, he tied for fourth in the NFL with five interceptions and tied for eighth with 15 passes defensed.

“His length, when he’s at the line of scrimmage, when he gets his hands on you, it’s tough for receivers to get off of him,” coach Matt LaFleur said early in the season (see accompanying video).

The key was playing time. After playing a combined 15 games and getting on the field for about one-third of the defensive snaps in his first two seasons, he played in 15 games and saw 77 percent of the action in 2019. It was a big step the wrong direction this season, though. In 11 games and with 65 percent playing time, he intercepted one pass and broke up five. The Packers could have drafted T.J. Watt in the first round of the 2017 draft. Instead, former general manager Ted Thompson traded out of the first round. Watt landed in Pittsburgh and might win Defensive Player of the Year. King gave up two touchdowns in the NFC Championship Game, including the infamous 39-yarder to end the first half.

RELATED: TOP FREE AGENTS ON OFFENSE

DT Montravius Adams: Adams, the third-round pick in 2017, has been an even bigger disappointment than King. Having played in the rugged SEC and with excellent athleticism for his size, Adams looked like a potential standout. Instead, in four seasons, he started three games. His tenure (presumably) ended with 44 tackles and 1.5 sacks. That includes 21 tackles and no sacks in 22 games his final two seasons. He played in only eight games this year and ended it on injured reserve with a toe injury.

DT Damon Harrison: To fortify the run defense, the Packers added Harrison for the stretch run. He played in 12 snaps in the regular-season finale, three snaps in the divisional game against the Rams and 17 snaps in the championship game against the Buccaneers. Once the best run-stopping defensive tackle in the NFL, Harrison skipped the start of the season due to the birth of twins and the threat of COVID. Having recently turned 32, he can still hold sturdy against double teams.

DT Billy Winn: Winn was quite a story. After missing the 2017 through 2019 seasons due to injuries, the Packers signed him to the practice squad early in the season. He wound up playing in six games before his season ended with a triceps injury. When he was on the field, he made an impact with six tackles and two pass breakups in 41 snaps. He’ll turn 32 in April. Will any team take a chance on a player with such an extensive history of major injuries?

S Will Redmond: In 13 regular-season games, Redmond played more than 20 defensive snaps nine times. A touted cornerback in college before missing his final season with a knee injury, the Packers like his versatility and special-teams acumen. In 26 games over the past two seasons, he has zero interceptions and two passes defensed. Nobody would care about the zero interceptions had he picked off the one that went right through his mitts just before halftime in the NFC Championship Game. Two plays later, the Bucs were in the end zone.

ILB James Burgess: As a rookie with Cleveland in 2017, Burgess had four sacks and 12 tackles for losses among 75 stops in 14 games (nine starts). In 2019 with the Jets, he started all 10 appearances and had a career-high 80 tackles. He failed to make the Jets’ roster this summer and was signed off Atlanta’s practice squad on Oct. 24. He had three tackles in 51 snaps on special teams over four games before going on IR with a hamstring injury.

Add us as a preferred source on Google