Packers: Pending free agents to bring back in 2019
By Paul Bretl
Jake Ryan, UFA
2018 base salary: $1.90 million
Unfortunately for Jake Ryan, he did not see live action in 2018 due to an ACL tear, but prior to this injury Ryan has rarely missed any time since arriving in Green Bay.
Ryan isn’t going to “wow” anyone at inside linebacker but he’s consistent, is a solid tackler and does well in zone coverage.
Other than Blake Martinez there are unknowns for the Packers at inside linebacker. Oren Burks is still learning and struggles in coverage while Antonio Morrison is primarily a run stopper.
It will be interesting to see what kind of value Ryan brings on the open market but coming off of an ACL tear, his price should be reasonable.
Robert Tonyan, ERFA
2018 base salary: $480,000
During the preseason and with his 54-yard touchdown grab in Seattle, we saw flashes of what Robert Tonyan could be, but his talent is still quite raw.
As a former wide receiver he has great speed and can create mismatches by lining up out wide. Tonyan could turn into the threat over the middle and in the red zone that everyone expected Jimmy Graham to be.
Although he struggles with blocking and his skills aren’t as refined, the cost to keep Robert Tonyan will be minimal and the potential is definitely there.
Jake Kumerow, ERFA
2018 base salary: $397,399
Jake Kumerow, out of Division III UW-Whitewater, quickly became a fan favorite in training camp, and in the preseason we saw his play-making ability on full display with some long scoring plays.
Since the summer, Aaron Rodgers has talked very highly of Kumerow and appears to trust throwing the ball his way, which as a receiver isn’t always easy to accomplish.
In his final two games, Kumerow hauled in six of seven passes thrown his way, for 87 yards, including a 49-yard touchdown catch against the New York Jets.
Give the Packer fans more Kumerow in 2019!
Lucas Patrick, ERFA
2018 base salary: $555,000
Since joining the Green Bay Packers, Lucas Patrick has been battling to stay on the 53-man roster. He has succeeded in large part due to his work ethic and using his smarts to play the guard position.
Due to injuries and poor play, Patrick started the final four games of the season and had some bright spots in those games, but overall there is plenty of room for improvement.
Guard is a position that needs to be improved this offseason and keeping Patrick will give the Packers a great locker room guy, and he will provide depth at a low-cost.