Packers: Three keys to have a successful 2019 offseason
By Jesse Fry
Three keys for the Green Bay Packers to have a successful offseason.
The Packers offseason is about to turn a week old and is already an exciting one.
The coaching search has hit full speed since the season-ending shutout loss to the Detroit Lions. And the excitement is just beginning.
The Packers started interviews with former Indianapolis Colts head coaches Jim Caldwell and Chuck Pagano before moving on to in-house candidate and interim head coach Joe Philbin.
The team of Brian Gutekunst and Mark Murphy are now on the road interviewing candidates of teams still in the playoffs. By the time the weekend is over the Packers will have interviewed no less than nine candidates for their vacant head coach position.
Soon, we will all know who the choice is, and then free agency will open with players coming and going from Green Bay. Then we can all turn our attention to fans’ next favorite thing after the actual season, the draft.
With ample cap room and 10 draft picks, the Packers have plenty of capitol to make some key additions to the roster.
Considering all these factors the question becomes, can the Packers do enough this offseason to have a quick turnaround? Every year there is a team that goes from the bottom to the top. Teams find the right balance of right draft picks and right free agents to do enough to become playoff contenders. Can the Packers be one of those teams?
With Aaron Rodgers as the quarterback, the Packers are already ahead of the curve. There is no search for a franchise player, he’s already on the roster and has a bonafide number one receiver that comes with him. There’s a franchise left tackle and running backs on rookie deals who have proven they both can be difference makers.
On defense the cupboard isn’t exactly bare but there are fewer pieces to work with. Jaire Alexander and Kevin King (when healthy) have proven capable of being shutdown defenders, while Kenny Clark and Mike Daniels are solid pieces to build around in the middle.
So what will the Packers have to do in order to have a quick turnaround? Here is an offseason checklist for GM Brian Gutekunst.