Green Bay Packers: Potential roster cut additions in free agency
By Kenn Korb
Davon House, CB, Jacksonville
This one may already be in the works. As Rob Demovsky of ESPN states in his article there, it makes perfect sense as to why.
As you surely know, the Green Bay cornerback situation is awful. Sam Shields missed essentially all of 2016 and was subsequently released due to concussion issues. Damarious Randall and Quinten Rollins each took massive steps back after promising rookie seasons, due to a combination of injuries and poor play (with the former likely exacerbating the latter). Micah Hyde is a free agent and could prove too expensive to bring back.
Demetri Goodson and Josh Hawkins are both little-used, but for good reason: they haven’t been good. The only possible positive under contract at the position right now is LaDarius Gunter, but he was clearly outmatched against the better receiving talents of the league (particularly against the Odell Beckham Jr./Dez Bryant/Julio Jones gauntlet in the playoffs).
Needless to say, this team needs more talent at the position, especially if Hyde doesn’t return.
House isn’t a great cornerback by any means, but he could provide the team with not only a capable veteran body to pick up snaps but also someone with prior knowledge of the Green Bay defensive scheme. Though he is coming off his worst season to date, three of his four other seasons (two of three with the Packers) were average or better (at least in terms of Pro Football Focus’ grading metrics).
He was never a high snap-count guy with Green bay (he never garnered even 50% of defensive snaps in a given year), but in 2015 he did pick up over 1,000 snaps and put up an average overall showing. Average doesn’t sound exciting, but it would be a major improvement over the lackluster showing from the corners currently on the roster.
It was a smart idea to allow House to leave in the 2015 offseason for the greener (i.e.: $$$) pastures of Jacksonville; it would be just as smart to bring him back on a lost-risk contract to a cornerback rotation in dire need of useful bodies.
Alternative Option: Tramon Williams (CB; CLE)
Williams coming back would follow the same level of thinking as it would for House. He also has a history with the team, and was successful in the majority of his time with the Packers.
Williams is obviously older, and his play last season was also the worst showing of his career. Expecting him to step into the same 1,000+ snaps per year role he held in his last stint with Green Bay and be just as effective as he was previously would be erroneous.
On a team with more help in front of and behind him though — as well as in a scheme where he was once one of the better cornerbacks in the league — thinking that he could still be a solid contributor is not a terrible idea.