Breaking Down the Roster

[Dantés]

With the Rodgers situation resolved and FA/Draft season on the immediate horizon, it's time to take this roster apart and see where the biggest needs lie.

Quarterback: Rodgers is back and for a significant number of seasons, so it would make sense to trade Love, draft a rookie, and move forward. This class seems light on potential franchise QB's, but heavy on guys who probably have a legit future in the league as a quality backup.

Key FA: None

Trade/Cut Candidates:
--J. Love (Trade)

Running Back: This position is super strong with Jones secured, Dillon having two years remaining, and Hill/Taylor rounding it out.

Key FA: None

Trade/Cut Candidates: None

Tight End: Lewis and Deguara are under contract as the Y and H role players respectively, but Tonyan was the only real F tight end on the roster and his status is up in the air in terms of both health and contract. He tore his ACL relatively late in the season (November), so it's questionable how soon he will be ready. Zach Ertz is a 31 year old UFA who the Packers reportedly had trade interest in.

Key FA:
--R. Tonyan (UFA)

Trade/Cut Candidates: None

Wide Receiver: Though Adams is technically slated to be a UFA, we all know he's going to be under a tag or contract so I am considering him as being on the roster. Beyond him, the cupboard is nearly bare, disappointing rookie Amari Rodgers being the next most notable player under contract (aside from Cobb, who they need to cut). That could change in a hurry, however, if they got a deal done with MVS and tendered Lazard. If it's me, I let MVS walk and give Lazard a round 2 tender. One FA wide receiver who might be a bit of a sleeper is James Washington of Pittsburgh-- his game in college was downfield and we all know that Big Ben wasn't thriving in that quadrant in recent seasons.

Key FA:
--M. Valdes-Scantling (UFA)
--A. Lazard (RFA)

Trade/Cut Candidates:
--R. Cobb (Cut)

Offensive Line: In a league full of terrible OL's, the Packers are in great position. Bakhtiari should be back to 100% in 2022, and both Turner and Jenkins have shown they can play tackle at a high level as well (not to mention Nijman, who could easily be tendered). Turner and Jenkins could also both bolster the interior, where the young guards were up and down. However, it would not be surprising at all to see Newman and Runyan take steps forward and keep to keep their starting jobs. Myers should be cemented at center for years to come. Really depth is the only need to address here, and it can happen in the draft.

Key FA:
--L. Patrick (UFA)
--Y. Nijman (RFA)

Trade/Cut Candidates: None

Defensive Line: Clark is a stud, but they would ideally be able to limit his snaps a little bit more. Lowry saw a bounce back in 2021, but I wouldn't count on that being the new normal. Beyond them, Slaton has showed some promised and Heflin may be able to step up into a rotational role, but help is certainly needed. Cap space obviously isn't in great supply, but both an affordable veteran and a rookie addition here would not go amiss (even as high as round 1).

Key FA:
--T. Lancaster (UFA)

Trade/Cut Candidates: None

Edge Rusher: Preston Smith and Rashan Gary have the starting roles locked down, but Za'Darius needs to take a big pay cut or get released. Quality depth is a little spotty, though Garvin has flashed some decent play. The Packers reportedly have interest in Uchenna Nwosu, which would be a pretty significant acquisition. He would bring a style of player to the position that they currently lack-- more of a true stand-up rush linebacker. If they didn't make a FA acquisition like that, this position could be the first one they draft in a couple months.

Key FA: None

Trade/Cut Candidates:
--Z. Smith (Cut)

Linebacker: The Packers are faced with a tricky choice here. Campbell was outstanding in 2021, but it was far and away the best play of his entire career. So do you pay for the outlier season and risk him turning back into a pumpkin? Do you have any assurance that this is the new normal? It's a tough call. If they wanted to look for the next reclamation project instead of paying Campbell, they could look at Eric Wilson or Kwon Alexander. Or they could make all my dreams come true and draft Montana State's Troy Andersen.

Key FA:
--D. Campbell (UFA)

Trade/Cut Candidates: None

Cornerback: This is another spot that's tricky, with Rasul Douglas playing outstanding ball in 2021, but it being the true outlier of his career. So they're stuck with another big decision-- do you pay for the positive outlier. They will certainly need to do something, because after the clear top two (Alexander and Stokes), they don't have much at the moment.

Key FA:
--R. Douglas (UFA)
--C. Sullivan (UFA)
--K. King (UFA)

Trade/Cut Candidates: None

Safety: Even though Amos carries a high cap figure, I think you have to keep him as the team is clearly still pushing for a SB. Black will clearly be tendered and overall this is a low maintenance position.

Key FA:
--H. Black (ERFA)

Trade/Cut Candidates: None

ST: The Packers acquired a punter with a massive leg who apparently isn't a very good holder. They have an expensive kicker who missed a ton of kicks in 2021. They also just replaced an inept ST coach. So can it all work together now? Do they need to choose between the punter and the kicker? I don't really know.

Key FA:
--C. Bojorquez (UFA)

Trade/Cut Candidates:
--M. Crosby (Cut)

 

[tynimiller]

Dude don't do Krys Barnes dirty like that and leave him off key FA at LB - ERFA.

 

[tynimiller]

I also believe Turner is a possible cut option at OL for cap reasons.

 

[gopkrs]

Thanx Dantes...informative.

 

[gopkrs]

Dude don't do Krys Barnes dirty like that and leave him off key FA at LB - ERFA.

I don't think he's a free agent...is he?

 

[tynimiller]

I don't think he's a free agent...is he?

He is an ERFA. He signed a two year deal (2020/2021) $1,390,000 contract which has expired.

 

[gopkrs]

He is an ERFA. He signed a two year deal (2020/2021) $1,390,000 contract which has expired.

Definitely a keeper imho

 

[tynimiller]

Definitely a keeper imho

100% honestly our main RFAs and ERFAs are no brainers to keep between Yosh, Lazard and Barnes

 

[Dantés]

I also believe Turner is a possible cut option at OL for cap reasons.

I thought about it, but ultimately I can't see letting a quality OT/G go for ~4M in cap space.

If you're going all in, go all in.

 

[tynimiller]

I thought about it, but ultimately I can't see letting a quality OT/G go for ~4M in cap space.

If you're going all in, go all in.

I don't disagree, but similar argument as Crosby IMO. A surprise they could do is extend Billy adding another year or two - shift a couple mill to 2023, with a decent out cap wise after 2023 season.

 

[Dantés]

I don't disagree, but similar argument as Crosby IMO. A surprise they could do is extend Billy adding another year or two - shift a couple mill to 2023, with a decent out cap wise after 2023 season.

I wouldn’t compare the two. Turner is coming off a great year. Crosby, whether the problems are primarily internal or external to him, had a horrible season.

Tackle is also a vastly more valuable position.

 

[tynimiller]

I wouldn’t compare the two. Turner is coming off a great year. Crosby, whether the problems are primarily internal or external to him, had a horrible season.

Tackle is also a vastly more valuable position.

Oh I was solely talking about similar in the sense of not much fiscal gain really cutting either is all.

 

[Dantés]

Oh I was solely talking about similar in the sense of not much fiscal gain really cutting either is all.

Oh sure. Yeah, potentially cutting Crosby would be more about performance than savings. They need to sort out what the real problem is there.

 

[milani]

With the Rodgers situation resolved and FA/Draft season on the immediate horizon, it's time to take this roster apart and see where the biggest needs lie.

Quarterback: Rodgers is back and for a significant number of seasons, so it would make sense to trade Love, draft a rookie, and move forward. This class seems light on potential franchise QB's, but heavy on guys who probably have a legit future in the league as a quality backup.

Key FA: None

Trade/Cut Candidates:
--J. Love (Trade)

Running Back: This position is super strong with Jones secured, Dillon having two years remaining, and Hill/Taylor rounding it out.

Key FA: None

Trade/Cut Candidates: None

Tight End: Lewis and Deguara are under contract as the Y and H role players respectively, but Tonyan was the only real F tight end on the roster and his status is up in the air in terms of both health and contract. He tore his ACL relatively late in the season (November), so it's questionable how soon he will be ready. Zach Ertz is a 31 year old UFA who the Packers reportedly had trade interest in.

Key FA:
--R. Tonyan (UFA)

Trade/Cut Candidates: None

Wide Receiver: Though Adams is technically slated to be a UFA, we all know he's going to be under a tag or contract so I am considering him as being on the roster. Beyond him, the cupboard is nearly bare, disappointing rookie Amari Rodgers being the next most notable player under contract (aside from Cobb, who they need to cut). That could change in a hurry, however, if they got a deal done with MVS and tendered Lazard. If it's me, I let MVS walk and give Lazard a round 2 tender. One FA wide receiver who might be a bit of a sleeper is James Washington of Pittsburgh-- his game in college was downfield and we all know that Big Ben wasn't thriving in that quadrant in recent seasons.

Key FA:
--M. Valdes-Scantling (UFA)
--A. Lazard (RFA)

Trade/Cut Candidates:
--R. Cobb (Cut)

Offensive Line: In a league full of terrible OL's, the Packers are in great position. Bakhtiari should be back to 100% in 2022, and both Turner and Jenkins have shown they can play tackle at a high level as well (not to mention Nijman, who could easily be tendered). Turner and Jenkins could also both bolster the interior, where the young guards were up and down. However, it would not be surprising at all to see Newman and Runyan take steps forward and keep to keep their starting jobs. Myers should be cemented at center for years to come. Really depth is the only need to address here, and it can happen in the draft.

Key FA:
--L. Patrick (UFA)
--Y. Nijman (RFA)

Trade/Cut Candidates: None

Defensive Line: Clark is a stud, but they would ideally be able to limit his snaps a little bit more. Lowry saw a bounce back in 2021, but I wouldn't count on that being the new normal. Beyond them, Slaton has showed some promised and Heflin may be able to step up into a rotational role, but help is certainly needed. Cap space obviously isn't in great supply, but both an affordable veteran and a rookie addition here would not go amiss (even as high as round 1).

Key FA:
--T. Lancaster (UFA)

Trade/Cut Candidates: None

Edge Rusher: Preston Smith and Rashan Gary have the starting roles locked down, but Za'Darius needs to take a big pay cut or get released. Quality depth is a little spotty, though Garvin has flashed some decent play. The Packers reportedly have interest in Uchenna Nwosu, which would be a pretty significant acquisition. He would bring a style of player to the position that they currently lack-- more of a true stand-up rush linebacker. If they didn't make a FA acquisition like that, this position could be the first one they draft in a couple months.

Key FA: None

Trade/Cut Candidates:
--Z. Smith (Cut)

Linebacker: The Packers are faced with a tricky choice here. Campbell was outstanding in 2021, but it was far and away the best play of his entire career. So do you pay for the outlier season and risk him turning back into a pumpkin? Do you have any assurance that this is the new normal? It's a tough call. If they wanted to look for the next reclamation project instead of paying Campbell, they could look at Eric Wilson or Kwon Alexander. Or they could make all my dreams come true and draft Montana State's Troy Andersen.

Key FA:
--D. Campbell (UFA)

Trade/Cut Candidates: None

Cornerback: This is another spot that's tricky, with Rasul Douglas playing outstanding ball in 2021, but it being the true outlier of his career. So they're stuck with another big decision-- do you pay for the positive outlier. They will certainly need to do something, because after the clear top two (Alexander and Stokes), they don't have much at the moment.

Key FA:
--R. Douglas (UFA)
--C. Sullivan (UFA)
--K. King (UFA)

Trade/Cut Candidates: None

Safety: Even though Amos carries a high cap figure, I think you have to keep him as the team is clearly still pushing for a SB. Black will clearly be tendered and overall this is a low maintenance position.

Key FA:
--H. Black (ERFA)

Trade/Cut Candidates: None

ST: The Packers acquired a punter with a massive leg who apparently isn't a very good holder. They have an expensive kicker who missed a ton of kicks in 2021. They also just replaced an inept ST coach. So can it all work together now? Do they need to choose between the punter and the kicker? I don't really know.

Key FA:
--C. Bojorquez (UFA)

Trade/Cut Candidates:
--M. Crosby (Cut)

I think the TE is as you assessed it. Up in the air. And that hurt us in that SF playoff game. Lewis is a super blocker but his fumble cost us and the game was never the same. We are not going to draft a Finley but we have to find someone who can stretch the field enough. There are many teams much stronger than us at that position even though we are superior at QB.

 

[OldSchool101]

I think the TE is as you assessed it. Up in the air. And that hurt us in that SF playoff game. Lewis is a super blocker but his fumble cost us and the game was never the same. We are not going to draft a Finley but we have to find someone who can stretch the field enough. There are many teams much stronger than us at that position even though we are superior at QB.

It might be best to take a stab at a higher grade TE in a player trade or FA. Even at the expense of a Day 3 selection.
The Packers don’t have time to slow develop another option. Their best bet is firm up that spot now. We need someone who can line up in 3 Receiver sets and has some size to pose a Redzone weapon. That’s an area we need to bolster to get back to 2020 form

 

[tynimiller]

It might be best to take a stab at a higher grade TE in a player trade or FA. Even at the expense of a Day 3 selection.
The Packers don’t have time to slow develop another option. Their best bet is firm up that spot now. We need someone who can line up in 3 Receiver sets and has some size to pose a Redzone weapon. That’s an area we need to bolster to get back to 2020 form

Enter Ruckert from Ohio State....this cat is an excellent inline TE that excelled constantly when told not to block but go up and make red zone catches....literally in the last three years starting this joker saw 53 receptions, and scored a touchdown on 12 of those. The man scored on nearly 23% of his receptions and watching his highlights I don't know if any of these came on plays outside the 25. He won't or shouldn't see beyond our 3rd round pick IMO....but keep an eye out for him.

 

[Deleted member 6794]

Wide Receiver: Though Adams is technically slated to be a UFA, we all know he's going to be under a tag or contract so I am considering him as being on the roster. Beyond him, the cupboard is nearly bare, disappointing rookie Amari Rodgers being the next most notable player under contract (aside from Cobb, who they need to cut).

The Packers could ask Cobb to take a pay cut to stay with the team. I agree there's no way he will be back if he doesn't agree to it though.

Offensive Line: In a league full of terrible OL's, the Packers are in great position. Bakhtiari should be back to 100% in 2022, and both Turner and Jenkins have shown they can play tackle at a high level as well (not to mention Nijman, who could easily be tendered). Turner and Jenkins could also both bolster the interior, where the young guards were up and down.

Don't forget that Jenkins tore his ACL in late November. While I hope he will be able to return faster than Bakhtiari last season it's far from a given.

I thought about it, but ultimately I can't see letting a quality OT/G go for ~4M in cap space.

It depends on what else the Packers plan on doing at tackle. At this point they don't even have a backup for Turner under contract as long as Jenkins isn't able to play. I might feel comfortable about moving on from him as long as they bring back Nijman and Kelly.

It might be best to take a stab at a higher grade TE in a player trade or FA. Even at the expense of a Day 3 selection.
The Packers don’t have time to slow develop another option. Their best bet is firm up that spot now. We need someone who can line up in 3 Receiver sets and has some size to pose a Redzone weapon. That’s an area we need to bolster to get back to 2020 form

Unfortunately the Packers will most likely not have enough cap space to make a move for a veteran tight end.

 

[Schultz]

Time to update this. The starting line-up on defense is top notch. The depth is bottom notch. Here (IMO) are my rankings on best to worst depth.
1. DL - Lowry
2. Edge - Garvin
3. S - Scott
4. LB -Summers
5. CB - SJC

Offense has some holes but also has some depth. Listed the same way.
1. RB - Dillon (if the Hill injury won't effect his play I love the RB room)
2. QB - Love
3. TE - Deguara (depending when Tonyan will be back this could easily be #2)
4. OL - Van-Menet-Hanson (depending on the health of Bakh & Jenkins could move up to #2)
5. WR - I can not bring myself to type it.

 

[OldSchool101]

Time to update this. The starting line-up on defense is top notch. The depth is bottom notch. Here (IMO) are my rankings on best to worst depth.
1. DL - Lowry
2. Edge - Garvin
3. S - Scott
4. LB -Summers
5. CB - SJC

Offense has some holes but also has some depth. Listed the same way.
1. RB - Dillon (if the Hill injury won't effect his play I love the RB room)
2. QB - Love
3. TE - Deguara (depending when Tonyan will be back this could easily be #2)
4. OL - Van-Menet-Hanson (depending on the health of Bakh & Jenkins could move up to #2)
5. WR - I can not bring myself to type it.

Good post.
I’m going to give guys like Shemar Jean-Charles a little more leeway than someone like Summers, who’s entering year 4.
Shemar came into the draft last season. As a career backup type potential, he’s obviously not going to get featured in his Rookie season.

I know you weren’t slighting him, I’m just saying he’s a ? With some good fortune maybe he becomes a ST weapon.

I’d say his ceiling is “Quality backup” Will Redmond was an example we saw used for him when drafted. I liked Redmond for his ST value also.

One thing I’ll note is that he did play NB for 2 seasons in college, but really excelled when he shifted outside in space in press Man. If Shemar wasn’t so small I’d move him inside, but his ding was he’s weaker at Run stop. However he’s very feisty. I’d call him a solid “Backup level” boom or bust and anything above that is a miracle from above.

One guy I don’t like is Henry Black. He’s had some opportunities and he always seems to be around a mistake. Maybe he’s just an unlucky bystander, because it’s mostly him there left standing all guilty looking He reminds me of MD Jennings, just bad luck

 

[tynimiller]

Good post.


One guy I don’t like is Henry Black. He’s had some opportunities and he always seems to be around a mistake. Maybe he’s just an unlucky bystander, because it’s mostly him there left standing all guilty looking

You are aware he isn't even on the roster right?

 

[OldSchool101]

You are aware he isn't even on the roster right?

Oh no I did not realize it. Oh thank thank you God! This is GREAT news!

It’s like seeing an old GF you despised and realizing she’s just a “look a like” after you’ve been attempting to conceal your face

I’ll be sure to send him an Easter card, it’s nothing personal

 

[tynimiller]

Oh no I did not realize it. Oh thank thank you God! This is GREAT news!

It’s like seeing an old GF you despised and realizing she’s just a “look a like” after you’ve been attempting to conceal your face

I’ll be sure to send him an Easter card, it’s nothing personal

Little shocked as he was an ERFA that could be tendered for minimum and most likely not even eat up a cap of the top 51 spot. Either way playing as many snaps as he did it highlights again why an additional S is quite likely in the draft.

 

[OldSchool101]

Little shocked as he was an ERFA that could be tendered for minimum and most likely not even eat up a cap of the top 51 spot. Either way playing as many snaps as he did it highlights again why an additional S is quite likely in the draft.

Then that ignoring Henry on the cheap also speaks volumes about our confidence in him



We can lift our need at WR another notch. KC poached MVS. I’ve got this sneaking Feeling we get an “upgrade” at WR very, very soon.
We obviously won’t go into the draft empty handed, that’s not Gutes style he’ll surprise us with someone. Watch

 

[tynimiller]

Then that ignoring Henry on the cheap also speaks volumes about our confidence in him



We can lift our need at WR another notch. KC poached MVS. I’ve got this sneaking Feeling we get an “upgrade” from MVS very very soon

Doesn't change our need at all as nothing changed from our roster standpoint with the MVS signing.

 

[sschind]

Doesn't change our need at all as nothing changed from our roster standpoint with the MVS signing.

I think he may have been considering MVS as a possible cheap (if no one else wanted him) fall back option that is no longer available. To save 10 million dollars I'd rather take a flier on a late round speedster.

Now are you going to tell us who those three guys were in the other thread or are you going to make us guess. Saw you mention AJ green in another post. Is he one of them?