Five offseason moves to create a championship Packers team
By Brady Busha
Five offseason moves to create a championship Green Bay Packers team.
Over the past two seasons, the Packers have not experienced the degree of success that they are used to – the reasons have varied, but it all boils down to one thing; there’s a lot of work to be done to turn this team into a legitimate perennial playoff lock.
While there is no defined formula for success, there are five moves available this offseason that can turn the Packers into a threat to make the Super Bowl for years to come.
1. Move on from the past
Cobb. Matthews. Perry. Three names that have not moved from the Packers roster since the day of their respective drafts, but aren’t heard nearly enough anymore to demand taking up nearly 20 percent of the salary cap, per Spotrac.com.
One is a remnant of the Super Bowl XLV winning squad, the other two have been the definition of serviceable, and it’s rare to see them all play over 10 games a season.
It’s a hard sell, but Nick Perry’s production is just good enough to warrant a trade for a mid-round pick in his upcoming contract year. Clay Matthews, despite his legacy with Green Bay, will have to be an unfortunate casualty to allow a player with more potential upside to enter the arena, such as Kyler Fackrell.
The receiver stable is already stocked, making Randall Cobb a difficult decision to let another fan favorite walk off to acquire more capital in hopes of bringing in more current talent.
However, with Cobb’s recent dip in playing time and production the past two years, it’s very possible he will be more receptive to taking a reasonable pay cut. Doing so will ensure Aaron Rodgers keeps another reliable target for 2019 instead of relying on talent that is still raw.
While the decision to bring on another past Super Bowl champion, CB Tramon Williams, in 2018 was appreciated and necessary, Williams should consider following the route of Terence Newman.
Williams’ experience in three different defenses, as well as playing at free safety a few times over the years, will prove more valuable coaching the young playmakers-in-training, rather than testing himself once more when he turns 36 in 2019.