Now that the Super Bowl has been played and free agency is approaching in early March, the Last Word On Sports NFL department will be looking at the top three needs for each team. In this article, the Green Bay Packers are the focus.
The Packers finished the 2015 season with a 10-6 record (second in the NFC North) after starting the season 6-0. Green Bay defeated the Washington Redskins 35-18 on the road in the Wild Card round of the playoffs but then lost in the Divisional round to the Arizona Cardinals in a game that featured a wild ending. With Aaron Rodgers at quarterback, Mike McCarthy’s team is all set under center, and the team just signed kicker Mason Crosby to a four-year, $16.1M contract. But there are other areas on which the Packers need to focus this offseason if they want to contend for a Super Bowl next season.
GREEN BAY PACKERS 2016 OFF-SEASON: TOP 3 NEEDS
Linebacker
Packers fans are still wondering how in the world general manager Ted Thompson and the rest of the organization didn’t address the issue of linebacker before the 2015 season. Green Bay must make this position a priority this off-season.
Linebacker Clay Matthews belongs playing on the outside, rushing the passer. But the former USC Trojan was forced to move inside due to personnel and depth issues. Jake Ryan, who the Packers selected in the fourth round of last year’s draft, showed promise at times last season, and Sam Barrington, who Green Bay drafted in 2013, look to be the starters at inside linebacker heading into 2016. But Barrington is still working on coming back from the foot injury that ended his 2015 season after Week 1 and it remains to be seen if Ryan can play well with consistency, from week to week.
If defensive coordinator Dom Capers wants to utilize Matthews the way he should be, the Packers need to add some talent and depth at both inside and outside linebacker. If they want to address this position through the draft the Pack could certainly try to target Scooby Wright out of Arizona in the second round or they could target some free agents, including Rolando McClain, Derrick Johnson or Danny Trevathan. But, however they want to go about it, the Packers need to shore up their linebacking corps before the 2016 season.
Offensive Line
It’s true that when Green Bay’s starting offensive linemen are healthy they can play well. But the issue in 2015 was that the entire line did not stay healthy and they failed to protect Rodgers with any amount of consistency. The Packers allowed 47 sacks (fifth worst) and 104 quarterback hits (eighth worst) last season.
Tackle Don Barclay is a free agent this off-season, and the organization also needs to keep in mind that JC Tretter, TJ Lang, David Bakhtiari and Josh Sitton are all scheduled to be free agents after the 2016 season, and it’s highly doubtful they will be able to re-sign all four players.
Signing a high priced free agent does not solve this problem so Green Bay needs to add depth and find players who can add value beyond next season in the draft. They could target the likes of Joe Haeg (North Dakota State) or Tyler Johnstone (Oregon), among others in April’s draft.
Running Back
In 2015, Eddie Lacy (drafted in the second round in 2013) struggled to perform after playing well in his first two seasons in the NFL. This dramatic drop in production seemed to be mainly due to Lacy gaining too much weight and the offensive line struggling throughout the season. James Starks was pretty productive, particularly as a pass catching back, last season, but he is a free agent this off-season.
If Starks is not in the Green and Gold in 2016 the Packers need to add a pass catching back this off-season. Green Bay also needs to look to a future without Lacy. This coming season is a contact season for Lacy, but, even if he performs as well as he did in 2013 and 2014, it is far from certain that the Packers would bring him back. Green Bay certainly doesn’t need to sign a high priced free agent (Matt Forte might be too pricey) or draft a back in the first, or even second, round of the draft, but it is a position they need to address. The team cannot ask Aaron Rodgers to do everything, even if he is clearly one of the best quarterbacks in the NFL.
The Packers, for the most part, were a good, sometimes really good, team in 2015. But if they want to truly compete for a Super Bowl in 2016, and beyond, they need to address the above areas. Adding some depth and playmakers at tight end and wide receiver wouldn’t be the worst idea in the world either.
