Best and Worst Moves the Green Bay Packers Have Made in Free Agency
Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson couldn't have summed up his—and by extension the team's—offseason philosophy any better than he did at the NFL annual meeting Monday.
"We have people that can evaluate players and we have people that can coach them,” Thompson said, per Packers.com's Vic Ketchman, when asked to address the holes at inside linebacker and cornerback caused by offseason personnel movement.
“Do we want to keep this guy now or do we put our personnel people to work and find a younger guy?” Thompson said, highlighting the central question of his philosophy.
The Packers did indeed keep some of their young draft-and-develop successes this offseason while allowing others to depart in free agency or cutting players like A.J. Hawk, Brad Jones and Brandon Bostick.
Overall, the Packers have had a solid, if quiet, offseason. Most importantly, Thompson has protected the cap (the Packers have about $21 million in room currently) and thus the team's ability to keep other key young players who are candidates for extensions this season in Mike Daniels and Casey Hayward.
However, Thompson's offseason moves have placed an extreme amount of pressure on the draft to produce starting-caliber players for Green Bay, which isn't always realistic.
To that end, let's take a look at some of the best and worst moves the Packers have made so far in free agency. Note that because Green Bay re-signed Randall Cobb and Scott Tolzien before the beginning of free agency, they haven't been included herein.
Re-Signing RT Bryan Bulaga
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There was the brief moment of worry, but not long after the free-agency period officially opened on March 10, the Packers continued their investment in right tackle Bryan Bulaga and signed him to a five-year deal worth $33.75 million, averaging $6.75 million per year.
That average figure is important, as it's equal to what left guard and Green Bay's best offensive lineman Josh Sitton makes per year.
Much as Green Bay needed to figure out a way to re-sign Randall Cobb without paying the slot corner a significant amount more than its No. 1 outside receiver, Jordy Nelson, so too did the Packers need to find a way to keep Bulaga for less than $7 million per year.
Ted Thompson and vice president of player finance Russ Ball got both deals done, a testament to the system they and head coach Mike McCarthy run in Green Bay.
Bulaga cited his comfort level and respect for his teammates as factors in his decision to return. "What it came down to for me was comfort level with the organization, with the Packers, with the coaches, the teammates and just how much I enjoy playing for Green Bay and for the guys that I play with," Bulaga said after the deal was announced, per Paul Imig of Fox Sports Wisconsin.
After missing the entire 2013 season with a torn ACL, Bulaga had a bounce-back season in 2014. He graded out as the fourth-best right tackle in the league, per Pro Football Focus, allowing just four sacks, two hits and 20 hurries.
The move ensures that the Packers offensive line will remain intact in 2015.
Relying Too Heavily on the Draft at Inside Linebacker
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Two weeks after the opening of free agency, the Packers have just one starting spot at the inside linebacker position filled, with Sam Barrington, and not many other players on the roster with in-game experience to slot opposite him.
It's becoming clear that as part of their complete rebuild at the position, Green Bay does not plan to re-sign free-agent inside linebacker Jamari Lattimore, who started five games for the team in 2014 as Brad Jones and A.J. Hawk saw their snaps decrease.
Now, all three of those players are gone, leaving outside linebacker Clay Matthews as the only player who has significant snaps inside. 2014 rookie and outside linebacker convert Carl Bradford and 2013 sixth-round pick Nate Palmer are also options.
The Packers also signed former Canadian Football League linebacker Josh Francis on March 5, who has not played in an NFL game.
If none of Bradford, Palmer or Francis can earn the starting job opposite Barrington in camp, the Packers will have to hope one of their rookies lights up training camp and will likely have to continue to play Matthews on the inside. Ideally, Matthews would be used inside on third downs, which means they need a solid run-stuffer for first and second downs.
Potential rookies Green Bay could look at with the 30th pick are UCLA's Eric Kendricks or Mississippi State's Benardrick McKinney. They could also hope Clemson's Stephone Anthony will be available at No. 62 or trade out of the first round into the early second to target him there and gain a pick.
But veteran inside linebacker Mason Foster of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers remains unsigned after more than two weeks on the market, which would seem to make him a perfect and inexpensive target for Green Bay.
Foster sat out six games in 2014 with injuries to his shoulder and Achilles, but he had a productive 15-game campaign in 2013, with 63 total tackles, two sacks, a forced fumble, three interceptions for two touchdowns and seven passes defended.
The 6'1" and 241-pound Foster called the plays for the Buccaneers in 2014 and seems like perhaps a missed opportunity for Green Bay. He could have stepped in as a Day 1 starter should no one else emerge at the forefront of the position in training camp.
Showing Patience in the Free-Agent Nose Tackle Market
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The big-name nose tackles on the free-agent market—Dan Williams, Terrance Knighton, Vince Wilfork—all eventually signed with teams and for surprisingly little, per Spotrac, while Ted Thompson waited patiently.
Now, the Packers are in position to re-sign preferred 2014 starter B.J. Raji to an expected one-year deal, per Bill Huber of Packer Report.
The averages from Knighton's, Wilfork's and Williams' deals ranged from $4.450 million to $6.250 million. Raji's deal could likely be as low as half of what he received last offseason—$4 million—before he tore his bicep in the preseason.
Now that they have let the free-agent nose tackles pass them by, however, the Packers need to re-sign Raji and/or Letroy Guion or address the position early in the draft.
The Packers currently only have one player under contract who could play at nose tackle, and that's 2014 undrafted free agent Mike Pennel.
Pennel does have the size (6'4", 332 lbs) to play the position, but he didn't demonstrate that he's ready to start in 2014. According to Pro Football Focus, he played 181 snaps at defensive end in 2014.
Guion will avoid jail time for his felony charges from February, but he is still subject to discipline from the league. He was a solid starter for Green Bay last season, but if he misses time with a suspension it'll need another starting-caliber nose tackle on the roster.
Of the draft prospects, Oklahoma's Jordan Phillips has been mocked to the Packers, but questions about his power and hand usage could cause Green Bay to skip him at No. 30. Iowa's Carl Davis could be hard to pass up if he falls to No. 62.
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Letting Both Davon House and Tramon Williams Walk
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Veteran cornerback Tramon Williams turned 32 this month and commanded a three-year, $21 million deal with the Cleveland Browns with $10 million guaranteed.
That's much more than the two-year deal worth $8 million Green Bay offered Williams, so it's not surprising that Ted Thompson balked at reaching Williams' asking price.
What is surprising, however, is that the Packers would let both their free-agent outside corners, Williams and House, walk with $21 million in cap room on the table.
House is only 25 and started four games for Green Bay in 2014, with 10 passes defended, an interception and a forced fumble. And while the $6.25 million per year House is set to make with the Jacksonville Jaguars is more than the Packers wanted to pay him, it's not unreasonable for a young player trending upward.
House was solid in press coverage, and his size (6'0", 195 lbs) is well-suited to playing outside.
Now the Packers need to either move their best slot corner—5'11" Casey Hayward—to the outside opposite Sam Shields and replace him with their most versatile defensive back—Micah Hyde—in the nickel defense or plan to start a 2015 rookie.
Both propositions have their consequences and could have been avoided by paying to bring back House, a positive draft-and-develop success story.
The coaching staff has confidence in Hayward's ability to start outside; that's not the issue.
"Casey has played better than most people realize, and he deserves more reps than he has played," cornerbacks coach Joe Whitt said late last season, per ESPN.com's Rob Demovksy.
But Hayward was also the best slot corner in the league in 2014, per Pro Football Focus. And moving Hyde to the slot full-time would limit Dom Capers' creativity in the scheme. Last season, with the perimeter locked down by Shields and Williams, Capers had the freedom to use creative blitz packages and bail out the struggling linebackers with the secondary.
Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel wrote a fantastic article about how the Packers' phenomenal cornerback play in 2014 propelled the entire defense.
Now, if Hyde becomes the starting nickelback in 2015, presumably Demetri Goodson plays in the dime, and the positional depth becomes precarious. The Packers will look to address the position early in the draft, but even Round 1 prospects are questionable opening-day starters. At No. 30 or No. 62, Green Bay could target Florida State's P.J. Williams, LSU's Jalen Collins or Connecticut's Byron Jones.
Only twice before has Thompson targeted a corner in Round 2. He has never taken one in Round 1, as the position is one of the hardest to develop at the pro level and the bust potential is enormous.
Shoring Up Offensive Line Depth by Offering Tender to OL Don Barclay
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Anytime a team can have a starting-caliber player on deck as a primary backup, it's a good situation to be in. That's what the Packers achieved when they gave offensive lineman Don Barclay the low restricted-free-agent tender, worth $1.542 million, as ESPN.com's Rob Demovksy reported.
Barclay missed the 2014 season with a torn ACL, and the depth of the offensive line was limited. Now, the 2015 offensive line will have a chance to exceed the performance of last season's unit, which in and of itself was the best of Mike McCarthy's tenure.
Pro Football Focus gave the 2014 Packers offensive line a pass-blocking efficiency grade of 85.1, the second highest in the league.
In another situation, Barclay could be starting. He stepped in at right tackle for Bulaga in 2013 after Bulaga tore his ACL at the Packers Family Night scrimmage. He started 14 games that season and four games in 2012.
Barclay can back up both guard spots as well, giving the Packers reinforcement on the line should a starting member become injured.
All salary information courtesy of Spotrac.com unless otherwise noted.
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