Packers Offseason Needs NFL 2022: Free Agency And Draft Preview
From the Aaron Rodgers weekly soap opera show to…next week’s Aaron Rodgers weekly soap opera episode. Aaron Rodgers flirted with the idea of leaving/retiring for awhile before coming back after all eyes were on him. The Packers seem like they were trying to stall a decision of Davante Adams. If Rodgers didn’t come back, they probably trade Adams for assets. But he did come back, and Adams was tagged. Unfortunately, Davante Adams refuses to play on the tag. Out of the frying pan, into the fire? This is not the only thing to dissect for the Packers offseason. They were a Super Bowl contender before losing to the eventual Super Bowl Champions in the Rams. Rodgers (and the Packers) time for a championship is running out. How can this team address the Packers offseason needs to give this team a chance to win a Super Bowl?
Packers Free Agency
Other than the Davante Adams and Aaron Rodgers thing, there’s still a lot to look at here. The Packers might lose 3 WRs, including MVS. On the defensive side, they might lose 4 LBs, 3 DL, and 4 Corners to free agency. The worst part? Currently, the Packers are -$20 million in cap space. Yes, the cap is a myth, but right now it’s not ideal to look at. Whatever the final number the Packers get, it’s not going to be pretty. The best thing for the Packers is low-risk, high-reward deals. As long as you have Aaron Rodgers, Davante Adams, and Aaron Jones, you can really compete with any team just based on those 3 guys. They need to build some type of defense with the limited type of money good luck.
Packers Draft
In the draft, the Packers have the 28th pick in the NFL draft. A pick they should immediately trade out of. I just mentioned the Packers cap issues, the best way to counter that and still get solid talent is through the draft. They have 28, 60, and 92. With their cap issues, that isn’t going to work. Trading down and hoping to get 6 picks in the first 3 rounds instead of 3 would be much more ideal. However, the Packers did pick Jordan Love in the 1st round indicating they don’t know what the fuck they’re doing.
Since the Packers are losing a bunch of defensive depth, that has to be the focal point going forward in this draft. Rodgers, Adams, and Jones can carry an offense, but for most of the Rodgers time in Green Bay, the defense has let him down. I think they should go LB at 28 if they don’t trade down. Hopefully one of the 3 in Nakobe Dean, Devin Lloyd, or Christian Harris should still be available here. I don’t think the EDGE talent is the best this late, and the next tier isn’t worth taking at 28. They could take a Corner here, but an LB in the middle of the defense after losing Za’Darius Smith makes way more sense. At 60, the Packers should still be looking defense and either get a DE or CB here. At DE, I like Kingsley Enagbare, Drake Jackson or Nik Bonitto here. At CB, Derion Kendrick or Roger McCreary would be nasty.
In the 3rd at 92, the Packers should be looking at defense again if they can. If they didn’t get an LB yet, Quay Walker might be sold here. I might be okay with a WR selection here. Justyn Ross, Wan’Dale Robinson, Calvin Austin III should be on the list for the Packers in the 3rd round. I’m definitely an advocate for defense if the Packers could manage it.
The Packers will be contenders as long as Aaron Rodgers is playing there. Despite the cap hell, despite the defense, despite whatever, Aaron Rodgers is there and he can win games. Playoffs are a different story because more of the team is needed, but if you need a guy that can take you to the playoffs at least, Rodgers is it. After that, well, it’ll depend on how the team addresses the Packers offseason needs.
