2015 Green Bay Packers Free Agency: An Early Guide to the Market

As most Green Bay Packers fans know, general manager Ted Thompson isn't the biggest fan of free agency. Choosing to build primarily through the draft, his largest signings of his career have been Charles Woodson, Ryan Pickett and Julius Peppers; the latter who was picked up as an unrestricted free agent in 2014.

It's not that he avoids the free market, he just simply doesn't find much value in it, and players choose to play elsewhere. A couple of low-level free agents join the team every season, but they rarely are huge names added. Tempering expectations with that said, a look at the positions of need and potential free-agent prospects for the squad is an interesting study.

With some money to spend, the Packers will more than likely use most of it to re-sign their own walking talent, but there are value options for the squad to look at in 2015.

Cornerback

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Cornerback is a position that needs to be addressed by the team. Tramon Williams has done well since a slump a couple of years ago, but he is at the age where he may not see quality minutes by the end of his contract. Ted Thompson doesn't usually get himself into those type of situations; where he is paying a player for past performance instead of projected value.

Davon House, who moved into a boundary corner role as a nickel defender putting Williams inside in a slot role, is also a free agent. Young and promising, he might be brought back as a potential full-time starter in 2015.

Green Bay seems to know what it likes in a cornerback. None of the team's corners are small, reflecting an overall trend the Thompson era shares. There are no Ahmad Carrolls on this roster. They also like "slot-only" cornerbacks. Casey Hayward and Micah Hyde seem to be those guys, while lengthier defensive backs like House get a shout outside on passing downs.

A good fit for the team would be Byron Maxwell, who replaced Brandon Browner opposite of Richard Sherman for the Seattle Seahawks. If House and Williams aren't brought back, the proven, yet not fully tapped out, skill of Maxwell can be found worthy of investing time and money. He could be a boundary cornerback who might surpass Sam Shields at some point, even if on a lesser contract.

Nose Tackle

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Like cornerback, nose tackle is a hole that needs to be filled in 2015. Both potential starters, B.J. Raji and Letroy Guion, are off the books, making the center of the 3-4 defense a question moving forward. Rarely are nose tackles ready coming out of the college game, especially now that they face so many spread looks, so that could be a reason the Packers lean toward free agency for an answer.

One nose tackle stands above the rest in this free agency class: Terrance Knighton. A former third-round pick by the Jacksonville Jaguars, he left the franchise for Denver, where he molded his game. Now looking for the first large contract of his career, he may be willing to scale back his expectations to stay on a contending team, like Julius Peppers did when joining the Packers last offseason.

It's hard to imagine such a large signing, but it could happen. Just one year ago a splash free agent was added to Green Bay's roster, and Charles Woodson and Ryan Pickett were added in the same offseason before. If Ted Thompson truly wants to fill the nose tackle void in one swift move, Knighton is a total possibility.

Right Tackle

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Packers fans don't need a reminder as to how important a starting right tackle is. When Bryan Bulaga went down earlier in the year, the memories of Derek Sherrod's play was enough. Sherrod is now on a futures contract with the Kansas City Chiefs after being cut midseason, despite starting as Bulaga's replacement during injury. Bulaga, now finished with his contract, has the potential to walk as the top tackle on the market in 2015.

If he does so, Green Bay needs to make a decision on who to fill his spot. A veteran addition makes sense, with J.C. Tretter being molded in the background. Tretter was a college left tackle who missed his entire rookie season of 2013 and the first portion of 2014 due to injury, but he has enough skill for the Packers to run six offensive line sets with him coming off the bench.

With limited playing time, though, he's probably not good to throw out in a starting role. Michael Roos is a well-aged option for the team to consider. After starting for a decade for the Tennessee Titans, he only played in five games last year due to a knee injury. The Titans also drafted Taylor Lewan, a first-round tackle from Michigan, this year, who replaced him.

The Titans found the perfect time for them to move on from Roos, but while he's down and on the market, the Packers could bring him in as a short-term transitional tackle before easing Tretter into the starting role.

Wide Receiver

Phelan M. Ebenhack/Associated Press

Early on in 2014, second-round pick Davante Adams surpassed Jarrett Boykin as the third receiver in the offense; the typical boundary target opposite of Jordy Nelson. Adams had the best year of a rookie receiver under Mike McCarthy this season. It looks like he's a contributor from here on out for the team.

Randall Cobb, the team's second target and top slot receiver, is coming off the books, though. He's a phenomenal receiver who may find better options in the free-agent market, if money is his top priority. Teams like the Oakland Raiders, who already have former Packer James Jones on their roster, are wideout thirsty and could use the young athlete. It's not out of the question to think he signs a deal similar to Percy Harvin's; one that Green Bay just can't simply pay.

Boykin is also heading into the free world, likely putting the Packers in a spot where they're looking at the same market for a receiving option. One that comes to mind is Cecil Shorts, who at one point looked like a young Greg Jennings in Jacksonville, but he had a rough season with Chad Henne and rookie quarterback Blake Bortles.

Shorts may be available for cheap, due to his valley of a 2014, but he has talent. In a system where a player like him has functioned in the recent past, the change of scenery might do him good.

Inside Linebacker

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The inside linebacker positions have been an issue for a while with Green Bay. Rotating in outside linebacker Clay Matthews and moving Sam Barrington up from a reserve player were two moves that hinted the team was done with the status quo.

The season started with Brad Jones and A.J. Hawk as the starters inside, but Jones has been removed from the role and Hawk has been rotated in and out. With OverTheCap showing them holding heavy cap numbers in 2015 and lacking three-down potential, it's not hard to imagine the Packers moving on from the duo. Finding a new starter to pair with Barrington would be added to their offseason task list, but with the cap they'd save, it'd be well worth it.

One name that looks interesting is Akeem Ayers. Ayers was a high draft pick by the Tennessee Titans, but he was a bit of a bust there. Traded midseason in 2014 during his contract year, he made huge improvements in New England, where he was a much better fit.

Proving his potential once more, but during a small sample size, there may be value in a potential contract sending Ayers to Green Bay, and he's clearly more talented than their other options on the roster.