The Green Bay Packers front office chose not to make any big additions to their roster before the trade deadline on Tuesday, where veteran pass rusher Preston Smith was the only notable player to relocate. Despite the many holes that have become apparent in Green Bay’s depth chart over the last week and the countless fundamental mistakes the team has made, general manager Brian Gutekunst has chosen to stay true to 52 of the 53 guys on the roster. But why didn’t the Packers front office take action in trading for some players that could immediately solve some of the issues Green Bay has been dealing with on the field?
Packers Front Office Smart In Staying Conservative Amidst Trade Deadline
Although the Packers front office could have made an effort to acquire at least one of the many in the list of names rumored to be on the trading block, Green Bay opted not to. With Green Bay sitting at 6-3 halfway through the season, the losses they have suffered have been to three of the more well-rounded teams in football. In those losses, it has merely been Green Bay shooting themselves in the foot and teams taking advantage of the disadvantageous positions they put themselves in.
Self-Inflicted Wounds Against Detroit
Jordan Love ultimately decided the winner of their matchup against Detroit with an interception near the end of the half, which made it 17-3 instead of a potential 10-10 ball game going into halftime. Detroit continued their momentum receiving the ball to start the second half and making it 24-3 in what used to be a one-score ball game.
Unfortunately, just trading for the better player cannot solve these issues, although it’s nice to have a prime MVP Aaron Rodgers with the ball in his hands in those kinds of moments. A Davante Adams return would not simply solve the offensive “self-inflicted wounds,” nor would trading injured players for healthy Pro Bowlers automatically fix the problems in the secondary. This team has yet to play complete football and Green Bay has the perfect opportunity to address these issues in their bye week.
Packers Front Office Trusts the Bye Week
With Love seeming to deal with a multitude of injuries and setbacks in his recovery, the bye week could not have come at a more optimal time for the Packers offense. Jaire Alexander and Evan Williams have an extra week to evaluate their health and return to full force. Lukas Van Ness has time to adapt to the new absence of Preston Smith and get the ball rolling in the pass rush.
As Green Bay truly becomes healthy and the coaching staff has ample time to assess conflicts within the team, the bye week can do just as much for a team as trading for a player can. Gutekunst has a history of lacking ambitiousness when it comes to adding talent at the deadline and for a historically good reason. Green Bay has consistently remained a playoff contender in Gutekunst’s tenure as the general manager and consistency is something Gutekunst prides himself in when it comes to achieving success.
Packers Front Office Trusts Their Guys
In staying consistent with their on-field personnel, the Green Bay Packers can take the bye week to truly address the number of issues that have occurred and ultimately cost them games. Although making more moves at the deadline might seem ideal to turn a playoff-contending team into a Super Bowl contender, Gutekunst believes his guys can get the job done as they are.
In the eyes of most of the staff and Packers’ front office, the wounds will heal with time. In rushing to find the perfect solution to the mistakes Green Bay faces, progress towards the goals set for the season, as well as long-term success, could be jeopardized. Staying put at the trade deadline is a smart move by the Packers’ front office. It will put the team in a position to hone in on the good, the bad, and the ugly to see what polished football looks like come playoff time.
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