Post Free Agency, Pre Draft, Packers Team Needs

[pbmax]

Listed by size of hole in roster, not draft prospect or value in a round.

Packers Are Missing Their Starter
1. Safety
2. ILB
3. WR

Packers Have Serious Concerns About the Starter and Depth at Position
4. TE/Slot
5. O Tackle
6. RB
7. EDGE

1. SAFETY - Unless you believe Tramon is the new FS, there is a big hole in the back of the defense. I suspect there is an even chance Tramon is the new FS and they simply haven't had to produce a depth chart, but even if he is, I think its a stop gap because of his age and lack of experience. Maybe Amos is the new FS, but then the roster prospects at SS are troubling as well. The depth signed elsewhere unless you really like Raven Green.

2. ILB - Packers still have limited coverage at ILB. Both Burks and Jones were drafted to help here but neither has succeeded. The Patriots abused Burks so bad for a drive he was benched before the next series by a team that doesn't like to make adjustments until halftime. Jones got called out by now-Brown Randall and Martinez for not being accountable. Come to think of it, there is no run stuffer either (presumably Morrison can come back for a slightly lower deal). This isn't as dire as safety because Pettine runs as much 3-3 base (which removes an ILB) as he does 2-4 base (which removes a DL)**.

3. WR - Wide receiver is tough to read. Was Allison good because of Rodgers and the presence of Adams and Cobb? Is he actually a #2 receiver? Its rare for a player to make that jump given his background (UDFA) and the fact that he hasn't exploded on the scene to dominate at times. On the plus side, he did attract free agent attention after his tender was announced and he was having a good start to the season. I think he is a great #3. Despite missing a starter, I could see them not draft a WR until Round 4 because of the yutes.

4. TE - Having not seen M4's offense, its hard to say what the most common formation will be. There could not be two different TEs that Lewis and Graham but they do share a Geriatrician MD. I think its going to look more like SF than LA. But someone needs to threaten the middle of the field off play action and with Lewis it will always be 5 yard throws. I can't see Graham being asked to block the play side, so he can cut off and decoy, but he doesn't run or catch like he used to.

Which leads us to the slot. If you want to threaten the middle of the field you could play a true slot guy on passing downs and the Packers haven't had one since Cobb made a Bear fall down for the Division title.

5. O Tackle - I still think Spriggs can make it, but that is another thread, four of which I probably have started elsewhere. He hasn't done it yet.

Bulaga gets more and more limited as the years pile on. When healthy, he can still do it. But the chief expectation for him is to get dinged with a leg thing and need some time off. They need depth. Turner helps but he is no lock at Tackle and his single good year came with a respected OL coach (Sean Kugler) and the Packers have another young guy (Adam Stenavich).

My fear is that Turner was a mid round prospect scouts loved and his tape last year convinced coaches and so they signed him for the peak and not the average level of his play. I actually hope Lucas Patrick wins the job. That guy blocks like his life is on the line.

My next fear is that an injury here will reduce the line to ruins once more. Of all second tier needs, this is the position I would be happy to see reinforced early even if they don't start the first game.

6. RBs - Everyone has written about RBs. Jones has everything you want in a back except size. There is a slight chance he won't like one cut zone running, but I doubt it will make much difference. He is pretty patient when picking holes. But he does get injured and Williams does not look like a one cut back. However, lots of medium athletic types succeed in a good zone blocked scheme, so maybe he surprises? I don't think he is an automatic struggle with this scheme, but he's not lights out either and will not break many 7 yard runs for 15+. That puts a LOT of pressure on your line to always get it blocked.

Neither guy is Sproles in a route but both can catch and are good in the screen game. Jones really improved on screen pass handling last year.

7. EDGE - You can always use more pass rush. And the last 8 years of Packer defensive football demonstrate that. But Fackrell and Gilbert aren't terrible depth. They have been healthy.


** The nickel-dime-dollar defenses tell you base positions on the field but it still varies by what Pettine thinks the offense will call (play tendency) whether its a Morrison nickel or a Willkerson/Army nickel.

[The Shadow]

Nicely constructed analysis. Well done!

[bobblehead]

Not bad PB. I'll add that Martinez thinks he should be paid like Patrick Willis based on a few things I have read. I would very much like a dominant ILB. I can live with Martinez, but it has to be a middling contract.

I thiink you nailed everything else. TWill is a stopgap for one more year as we groom his replacement. We play a ton of 3-3 so a 2nd ILB isn't a priority and they will continue working with the non football playing athlete (burks). TE is our single biggest need atm. We don't have a good one on the roster, but we are paying one like a star. I hope spriggs doesn't suck, but we can live with what we have, especially if Bulaga is healthy come playoff time. Taylor might end up being the RT with Patrick at guard.

[pbmax]

Not bad PB. I'll add that Martinez thinks he should be paid like Patrick Willis based on a few things I have read. I would very much like a dominant ILB. I can live with Martinez, but it has to be a middling contract.

I thiink you nailed everything else. TWill is a stopgap for one more year as we groom his replacement. We play a ton of 3-3 so a 2nd ILB isn't a priority and they will continue working with the non football playing athlete (burks). TE is our single biggest need atm. We don't have a good one on the roster, but we are paying one like a star. I hope spriggs doesn't suck, but we can live with what we have, especially if Bulaga is healthy come playoff time. Taylor might end up being the RT with Patrick at guard.

If they don't sign Campbell (and they didn't), I have to believe Tramontana is going back to CB. But maybe they roll with a lot of youth at CB.

[gbgary]

agree 100% with the priorities but the order may be different. tramon is making too much money to be a backup but that's exactly what he is. if they don't get a safety in FA, or the draft, i think he is the starter at fs. if they get one in FA tramon will be gone (for the money) or asked to take a cut and be a backup cb/fs. you know they'll need him as king is a health liability. #2 wr is huge as allison is a health risk and not an impact guy. ilb may be the #1 priority because there's no one there at the moment standing with martinez. one of the devins here.

[texaspackerbacker]

It's always nice to read analysis posts like the original post in this thread. Good job putting it together. As for the details, I'm about 50/50 between agreement and disagreement with it.

Safety: You don't expect Tramon to continue as the other Safety with Amos? I do - for at least another year. He was at least decent there. I hope we do retain Campbell, and yeah, a Safety is among the top priorities in the draft, just not as an immediate starter. I still wouldn't be surprised if Josh Jackson switches to Safety and is damn good there. Also, pairing Josh Jones with Amos - reputedly a smart player - could improve Jones's play considerably.

ILB: I wish we woulda paired Clay Matthews with Martinez, but that book is closed now. I put that at the very top of the draft priorities. Hopefully we get one of those Devins or somebody near as good at #12. Isn't Antonio Morrison already gone? And Burks still seems pretty shaky, although I wouldn't be surprised to see him improve.

WR: I say again, we are LOADED there right now. Valdez-Scantling is physically better and farther along at this stage of his career than Davante Adams was. St. Brown is damn good and should get better. I still have hope for Moore. Allison, Kumerow, that makes six keepers. It's highly unlikely we keep more than that.

Edge Rusher: I'm satisfied we have upgraded extremely from Perry and 2018 Matthews to Smith and Smith. I also do not share the low opinion some have for Fackrell and Gilbert. No draft help needed at that position.

TE: I was a little bit surprised they paid and kept Graham. I have to think somebody knows something, and he's gonna show more than he did last season. Just the same, considering that we signed Smith, Smith, Amos, and Turner, I'd say a TE becomes that top choice at #30. I tend to doubt, though, that it will be either of the Iowa boys.

O Line: Help needed, but probably a couple of mid round picks is about right - draft and develop at that position.

RB: We could use a third, but low round or free agency is fine for that - bring in several and see who looks best. I'd also like to see Ingold get a shot at fullback.

Kicker: I'd sure like to see Crosby replaced if we can find some young quality guy in about the 5th round. With all the kickers coming out, somebody should fill the bill.

QB: Don't draft one early. It's too soon for Rodgers' replacement, and Kizer or more likely Boyle or some low round or FA pick up will do as a back up.

We're loaded at Corner and more than adequate at D Line. I think that about covers it.

[pbmax]

If Gute, as many have expected, goes BPA/depth in the draft after meeting his goals in FA I'd expect WR and OL to flip spots. OL to go to 3rd in the list and WR to drop to 5th.

There is less certainty at WR for the 2 and 3 starters, but if he likes the depth with his yutes, there is greater risk at OL because of depth concerns.

[run pMc]

I'm starting to look at it from what the situation will look like a year from now. I think that looking that far ahead can at least suggest where they will fill roster spots in mid/late rounds.

Bulaga will be gone and Turner might not be the answer. Is Lane Taylor's contract up too? More OL help will be drafted.
They're ok at WR, but I could see them looking for a slot WR who can play ST or return punts.
TE will need to be addressed. The Lewis and Graham expedition is probably over after this year and youth will need to be served. Rookie TE's don't usually do much.
A lot of cap space was used up on Defense, so they will have to add pieces through the draft. I am not optimistic that the Smith Bros will light it on fire, and rotating lots of pass rushers in will help the defense. I'm not a big Fackrell / Gilbert guy, they're just ok.
Daniels will be a FA, Clark will get the option and need to be signed/extended, and the rest of the DL will be just meh at best. I'm thinking they will draft a DL this year; it takes them time to develop. I wouldn't consider pass rush to be Clark's strength, so maybe a good 3T pass rusher is needed when they don't put Z'Dangerous there.
Tramon will be gone, and they will still need help in the secondary because you can never have enough good corners...plus I don't trust King and Alexander to stay healthy for 16+ games.
Martinez is decent, they could do worse (and have) but unless there's a field tilter at ILB you might get by with mid rounders and JAGs. Coverage is often the bigger issue. Maybe Burks figures it out, maybe Pettine uses others to help fix that.

[mraynrand]

That O-tackle is the greatest need and there are a lot of tackles it seems who are at similar levels of talent. They better pick a pro bowl ten year starter with one of their first three picks, but likely will not have to blow #12 on a tackle (because there doesn't seem to be a tackle worth that pick and they need a game changer elsewhere) Rodgers isn't getting faster and the new coach isn't gonna run 'extended play' crap. They need to block it up for an aging QB.

[Fritz]

But if you read that quote about LeFleur's favorite Aaron Rodgers clip, you'll see that LeFleur may not see the offensive line as an area of need at all:

“It’s what we call our no-flinch. There was a free runner, I think it was Bart Scott came running in there free and just how he stood in the pocket and delivered an accurate ball and took (a hit), really he got folded in half like a suitcase. But that’s one of my all-time clips of him, one of my favorite clips of him.”

[Deputy Nutz]

1. Inside Linebacker: I laughed out loud when the Packers took Oren Burks last year. Apparently his play was also hilariously bad, so I kept laughing. The Packers have no depth at the position and Martinez in sort of a one trick pony. The Packers have upgrade both the secondary and the outside linebacker position this off season and I am sure they will look hard at the inside linebacker position in the draft.

2. Offensive Tackle: It seems like Bulaga is having trouble just standing on two legs, much less being able to play 16 games in the regular season without one of his knees giving out on him. Bakhtiari is one of the best in the business, but he also struggles with leg problems and seems to be on the injured list more times than not. The Packers addressed the offensive line in free agency but Billy Turner is a hope and see situation and is he penciled in at guard or tackle? The Packers could use one of their first round picks on an offensive tackle

3. Safety: The Packer might or might not have a strong safety to play next to Amos. They might have Tramon Williams play there, or move Josh Jackson to safety but both of those moves leaves some question marks short term and long term for the position.

4. TE: Rodgers his hit or miss on the use of his tight ends. I am not sure if adding a high profile draft pick is going to improve the usage of the position in the Packer's offense.

5. WR: Packers have depth, it's just very young and raw. The Packers should either draft a guy with the idea that he could fight to contribute right away, or stand pat because of all the young players aquired last year.

[The Shadow]

1. Inside Linebacker: I laughed out loud when the Packers took Oren Burks last year. Apparently his play was also hilariously bad, so I kept laughing. The Packers have no depth at the position and Martinez in sort of a one trick pony. The Packers have upgrade both the secondary and the outside linebacker position this off season and I am sure they will look hard at the inside linebacker position in the draft.

2. Offensive Tackle: It seems like Bulaga is having trouble just standing on two legs, much less being able to play 16 games in the regular season without one of his knees giving out on him. Bakhtiari is one of the best in the business, but he also struggles with leg problems and seems to be on the injured list more times than not. The Packers addressed the offensive line in free agency but Billy Turner is a hope and see situation and is he penciled in at guard or tackle? The Packers could use one of their first round picks on an offensive tackle

3. Safety: The Packer might or might not have a strong safety to play next to Amos. They might have Tramon Williams play there, or move Josh Jackson to safety but both of those moves leaves some question marks short term and long term for the position.

4. TE: Rodgers his hit or miss on the use of his tight ends. I am not sure if adding a high profile draft pick is going to improve the usage of the position in the Packer's offense.

5. WR: Packers have depth, it's just very young and raw. The Packers should either draft a guy with the idea that he could fight to contribute right away, or stand pat because of all the young players aquired last year.


I was surprised also. I saw nothing on tape that made me think he had any instincts.

[Fritz]

Not true at all about Burks.

He instinctively reaches for his paycheck when they are handed out.

[mraynrand]

Not true at all about Burks.

He instinctively reaches for his paycheck when they are handed out.

No, that's learned behavior. There still is some hope. Not much, but some.

[Fritz]

Ned-wise, it seems there is a gaping hole in the roster at safety.

[red]

Pretty damn solid, but shouldn’t we find some rotational fat bodies for the d?

It’s not a huge priority, but that rotation depth is always nice

Unless we re sign wilkerson

[Fritz]

Pretty damn solid, but shouldn’t we find some rotational fat bodies for the d?

It’s not a huge priority, but that rotation depth is always nice

Unless we re sign wilkerson

Howard Geen comes to mind with that first line of yours, Red.

[mraynrand]

Howard Geen comes to mind with that first line of yours, Red.

Green didn't have any staying power. I'd like to see a Gilbert Brown, Pickett, or Gravy Jackson type in there.

[Joemailman]

https://theathletic.com/896159/2019/04/01/antonio-morrison-cited-for-interfering-with-a-flight-a-week-before-packers-released-him/


Seven​ days before​ the​ Packers released him, inside linebacker Antonio Morrison was removed from​ a flight​ at​ Mitchell International Airport in Milwaukee​​ for exhibiting hostile behavior toward a crew member, according to documents obtained by The Athletic Wisconsin.

Morrison, 24, was aboard a Southwest Airlines flight bound for Las Vegas on March 1 when the aircraft stopped mid-taxi and returned to the gate because the pilot refused to continue the flight following the outburst. The Milwaukee County Sheriff’s Office responded to the report of an unruly passenger and eventually issued Morrison a citation for interfering with flight operations. Morrison was brought to a substation and released after posting the $200.50 bond. He was not arrested.

The incident occurred when a female flight attendant questioned passengers about a bag placed under a vacant seat. The flight attendant said Morrison declined to acknowledge whether the bag was his and began cursing.

“Fuck you. You don’t own this plane. I can do whatever I want,” Morrison said, according to the incident report.

The plane, which had departed from Gate C23, stopped its initial taxi toward the runway and returned to Gate C19 at the pilot’s discretion.

Morrison exited the plane and spoke with a Milwaukee County deputy who had been dispatched to the scene. Morrison told the deputy he placed his bag under an empty seat because the woman next to him had placed her bag underneath his seat.

“Morrison stated he did not feel he needed to explain why his bag was under an empty seat and thought the explanation (about) whose bag was good enough,” the deputy wrote in the report. “During this time Morrison was cursing casually with me and could not complete a sentence without the word fuck.”

The Packers cut Morrison a week later, on March 8, and he remains a street free agent. Morrison entered a no-contest plea for the ordinance violation on March 26, according to court records.

It’s unclear whether general manager Brian Gutekunst was aware of the incident before cutting Morrison, and the Packers declined to speak on the matter when contacted Sunday evening. One of Morrison’s agents, Jonathan Perzley, said the incident did not contribute to Morrison’s release, which he believes was financially motivated, and described the situation at the airport as “a misunderstanding.” A second agent, Brian Mackler, declined to comment.

[red]

that explains a few things, i thought morrison was worth keeping

all he had to do was answer a simple question, but he just had to be a tough guy

[wist43]

They drafted Burks purely on his combine... which is stupid. You could see on tape he was completely clueless. In terms of football IQ, his is zero.

Great athlete, terrible football player.