You can’t win a Super Bowl in March, NFL fans have heard this before, especially Green Bay Packers fans. With having Ted Thompson in charge of the Packers roster for so long and Thompson’s penchant for not utilizing free agency to the fullest, Packers fans have grown accustomed to hearing that phrase, with their favorite team not being involved with the signing of new players. With Thompson out and Brian Gutekunst the new man in charge of the Packers roster and bringing a new “aggressive” approach, Packers fans are excited to see what Gutekunst will do during this year’s free agency. A review of the first week of free agency for the Green Bay Packers with Brian Gutekunst as the man in charge.
Brian Gutekunst’s First Week In Charge of Free Agency
The NFL free agency period is less than a week in, but as most know, a majority of the business, especially with the top free agents, has already been done. So, the review of the first free agency week for Gutekunst as the man in charge doesn’t tell the full story, but it does spin a pretty good tale.
With free agency in the NFL constantly changing, this particular article has had to be adjusted three times, just because of one position for the Packers, that position being cornerback. It seems like the Packers, and their fans, have been on a roller coaster, going down, up, and back down again. Most hoping that it goes back up, but the chances of that happening are remote, just because the list of available free agent cornerbacks are being diminished by the minute.
Here is a look back at the week that was for Gutekunst and the Packers.
Another New Tight End is signed
The signing of tight end Martellus Bennett was a colossal mistake last season. The other tight end signed, Lance Kendricks didn’t do much to help the Packers passing game. But give Gutekunst and his staff credit for not allowing that to stop them from trying again and trying to increase the production out of the tight end position. The Packers agreed to terms with former New Orleans Saints and Seattle Seahawks tight end Jimmy Graham.
Graham is an ultra-athletic big-bodied receiver who should provide that weapon who is able to stretch the middle of the field that the Packers haven’t had since Jermichael Finley. Still, like with most free agents, Graham has some red flags.
The Packers aren’t getting the same Graham who caught 99 passes for 1,310 yards and 11 touchdowns when he was with the Saints back in 2011. Graham is now 31, went through a major knee injury back in 2015 with the Seahawks, and his production hasn’t nearly been what it was since he left New Orleans.
The Packers are betting that the production drop Graham went through while in Seattle is more due to the system he played in, rather than it being his declining ability. Still, Graham had 10 touchdown receptions last season and looked finally back to one hundred percent from the knee injury he suffered in 2015.
Graham’s main job now that he is with the Packers is to be a receiving weapon for quarterback Aaron Rodgers. Don’t expect much blocking out of Graham, he struggles at it and the Packers didn’t sign him for his blocking prowess. Graham will be lined up all over the place, outside, in the slot, and on the line of scrimmage. The deal that the Packers gave Graham is high, and there isn’t much doubt that for how successful or unsuccessful Graham is, it will be linked to Gutekunst since this was his first major free agent signing.
Player and Defensive Coordinator Reunited
Although some fans were panicked over Muhammad Wilkerson leaving Green Bay without a deal, they can now take a deep breath, with Wilkerson signing a one-year deal with the Packers. This could turn out to be Gutekunst and the Packers best move this offseason.
Wilkerson will be reunited with Mike Pettine, the Packers new defensive coordinator. Pettine was Wilkerson’s defensive coordinator with the New York Jets when he entered the league back in 2011. Wilkerson is known for his pass rushing ability. In 2015 he registered 12 sacks. In recent seasons, he has battled injuries and also has had his work ethic questioned. The Packers are hoping that being reunited with Pettine will help him get back to the level he once was.
Wilkerson will join Mike Daniels and Kenny Clark on the Packers defensive line, which gives the team a pretty lethal front three in their 3-4 defensive alignment. Joining those three will also be Dean Lowry, who showed some solid promise last season on the defensive line.
With the Packers questionable secondary, which will discuss more later in this article, they will need a pass rush, limiting the amount of time the opposing quarterback has. Wilkerson should provide just that, if he stays healthy and shows the energy that he played with back in 2015.
Cutting Ties with Nelson
To make room for Wilkerson and Graham, the Packers had to free up salary space and to do so, the Packers cut ties with long time wide receiver Jordy Nelson. Nelson is quite a legend in Green Bay and is loved by most, but his production last season dropped, catching 53 balls (his lowest since 2012) for 482 yards (his lowest since his second year as a professional) with six touchdowns (his fewest since 2010). His once incredible burst seemed to be gone and he didn’t appear to be the same receiver he once was.
The lack of burst comes with age, but the drop in production could stem from being forced to play with quarterback Brett Hundley, who replaced Rodgers when Rodgers broke his collarbone. It should be noted, Nelson caught all of his touchdown catches, six of them, last season were all thrown by Rodgers, before he was injured.
Packers fans were quite frustrated when news broke of Nelson’s release. Not only were they losing a player they had grown fond of, but how the process of how he was released seemed quite classless. Jason Wilde of the Wisconsin State Journal and co-host of Wilde and Tausch, reported that Nelson was asked to take a dramatic pay cut with speculation that it was just north of the veteran minimum. Nelson was to make over $11.5 million this season for the Packers, so asking him to take a pay cut wasn’t out of line especially since he struggled last season. However, as speculated on Wilde and Tausch this past week, if the Packers would have cut Nelson’s say just in half, there was a good chance he would have re-signed and they still would have had room to sign Graham and Wilkerson.
Nelson had a place, even with his skills not what they once were, on the Packers offense. Gutekunst made a point to tell a group of reporters at this year’s NFL combine in regards to Nelson returning “that they don’t want good players to walk out the door” and Nelson was a good player. Well, that opinion changed when Nelson wouldn’t accept a major pay cut and it appears not everyone shares Gutekunst’s opinion.
Nelson was out of work for about a day before the Oakland Raiders gave him a two year deal worth $15 million dollars. Nelson will be teamed up with Derek Carr, another top echelon NFL quarterback. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Nelson have a productive season next season, if he does, it won’t paint a very good picture of Gutekunst. Thompson always believed in cutting a player a year too early than a year too late, which turned out to bite him in the butt when he did it with Charles Woodson and Julius Peppers. The same could happen for Gutekunst and the Packers fans won’t let him forget it.
Free Agent Cornerback Position Constantly in Motion
After missing out on free agent cornerbacks Trumaine Johnson (the Jets) and Richard Sherman (San Francisco 49ers), it appeared that Gutekunst and the Packers might be stuck in free agency in regards to finding another cornerback. But late on Friday afternoon, the Packers surprised many by signing Chicago Bears cornerback Kyle Fuller to an offer sheet.
Fuller was given the transition tag earlier this off season by the Bears. By the Packers signing Fuller to an offer sheet it brought a lot of delight to Packers fans for a couple of different reasons. Not only would it mean that the Packers would be bringing in an established NFL cornerback to play opposite of second year cornerback Kevin King, but it would also be stealing a player from an NFC North division foe, the Bears. But those hopes were quickly dashed when news broke early Friday evening that the Bears would be matching the Packers offer sheet. By doing so, it brings the Packers back to square one and scratching off another possible cornerback from their list.
If that wasn’t bad enough for Gutekunst and the Packers, another cornerback that they reportedly had their eye on, former Indianapolis Colts cornerback Rashaan Melvin, signed with the Raiders. With Melvin and Fuller off the market now, the top two free agent cornerbacks still available are E.J. Gaines and Dominique Rodgers-Cromartie. If the Packers are interested in Rodgers-Cromartie, they will have to wait awhile for him to make a decision. He announced that he would wait to make a decision on his next team until April.
By failing to land one of the top cornerbacks early in free agency, Gutekunst and his staff have left the Packers in quite a hole at the cornerback position. The Packers current roster of cornerbacks lack experience and there are some major questions with King and Quinten Rollins, most likely the top two cornerbacks on the Packers roster, with both coming off season-ending injuries. If they fail to land any of the cornerbacks left in free agency, the Packers will once again be forced to use a top round draft pick on a cornerback, something they have frequently had to do the past three years. It also affects their plans at EDGE pass rusher, a position most expected the Packers to address early in the upcoming draft.
SEATTLE, WA – DECEMBER 31: Jimmy Graham #88 of the Seattle Seahawks in action against the Arizona Cardinals at CenturyLink Field on December 31, 2017 in Seattle, Washington. (Photo by Jonathan Ferrey/Getty Images)
