Rank the FA Screwup

[Fosco33]

Packers are probably no different - but sure feels like we got hit with career injuries to very key people - Nic the pick, Finley, Shields, Raji...

[pbmax]

Call me half-tex, but I still look at the roster as pretty good.

In a year they were attempting to tank, they went 6-9-1. Its very easy to be much worse. Without Rodgers they went 7-9. There is not any depth left and they are missing difference makers at key positions because of a combo of poor high draft picks and drafting late.

You have more than adequate pieces at CB, LT, QB, WR1, RB and DL. You are missing key talent at S, WR2, ILB, OLB and possibly RT.

Lack of depth hurts, but the real downer is the lack of starting talent at those spots.

You could have helped shore up OLB and S with those discarded FA pieces.

But I still agree with Barrymore truther wist that there is something weirdly wrong with Packer scouting and acquisition of the middle of their defense and pass rush.

[mraynrand]

^^^ All true. If they had just guessed correctly and kept Hayward and Peppers, they might have been good enough to get to the Owl in 2016. The way the offense was constructed, I don't know if you survive the loss of Rodgers regardless, but maybe last year you win a couple more games while he's out so you have the cushion to make the playoffs even with a tough road loss to Carolina. Getting Hundley wrong/relationship with Rodgers eventually cost Stubbers his job. Getting the QB right is job #1 in today's NFL.

[pbmax]

Shields was probably the piece that was un-overcomable in 2016. They just ran out of CBs.

[pbmax]

The guy I am struggling to understand now is letting Kyle Murphy go. He seems at the very least to be a good hedge for depth.

[mraynrand]

Shields was probably the piece that was un-overcomable in 2016. They just ran out of CBs.

Yeah, I was harping on that the whole year. They based their entire defense on him being a shut down corner. That's pretty shitty luck, but they've had a lot of that lately.

[mraynrand]

The guy I am struggling to understand now is letting Kyle Murphy go. He seems at the very least to be a good hedge for depth.

I don't understand. They kept the guy the entire year on IR and then LA signs him to their practice squad on Jan 3? WTF? That seems like a cheap/conniving move. And also that the Packers got played - unless they just don't really like him.

[Patler]

The guy I am struggling to understand now is letting Kyle Murphy go. He seems at the very least to be a good hedge for depth.

Especially when you consider that, on the rare occasions when he and Spriggs were both healthy, Murphy seemed to be ahead of Spriggs.

[Patler]

I don't understand. They kept the guy the entire year on IR and then LA signs him to their practice squad on Jan 3? WTF? That seems like a cheap/conniving move. And also that the Packers got played - unless they just don't really like him.

GB didn't get played, they released him from IR on Dec. 27. Apparently, they had no interest in keeping him around.

[Carolina_Packer]

As for guys they "gave up on", what about Vince Biegel? I'm not saying he was going to be special, however, TT drafts him with the first pick of the 4th round in 2017 after trading back and getting an extra pick. VB had both feet operated on and wasn't much of an impact later in his rookie season when activated. So then after his first full, healthy training camp, he gets cut? Did draft and develop become draft and dump? Again, I'm not saying he was going to be a special player, but how will they ever know if they pull the plug so quickly? There really wasn't a JAG OLB on the roster that could have been cut instead? That was a quick hook.

[call_me_ishmael]

I mean, if they can't play, they can't play. No need to keep 'em around. That said, our LBs are hot garbage so he must have been truly awful to get the boot like that

[mraynrand]

GB didn't get played, they released him from IR on Dec. 27. Apparently, they had no interest in keeping him around.

That's weird. The website I saw had the signing listed but not the release. Oh well.

Anyway, one complaint that I had this year (I think it was the preseason, maybe last year already??) was that Murphy looked too light and was really getting pushed around. Didn't matter that his footwork was passable, he had zero anchor.

[Pugger]

Shields was probably the piece that was un-overcomable in 2016. They just ran out of CBs.

I still can't believe he is playing again. So far he's been lucky.

[mraynrand]

I still can't believe he is playing again. So far he's been lucky.

at gunner/receiver no less. Hope he stays lucky.

[texaspackerbacker]

As for that 7 listed above, rather than ranking, I'd like to know who opposed letting them go/wanted to pay what it would have taken at the time to re-sign them. Myself, I was reasonably satisfied that they would have cost more than they would help the team. Just like signing free agents from outside, sometimes you win, sometimes you lose. Luck has more than a little bit to do with it.