Packers free agency: Grady Jarrett would be great addition to defense

If Grady Jarrett is available when free agency begins in March, the Green Bay Packers should try to sign him.

It’s January. There’s a long way to go before free agency kicks off on March 13. It’s hard to imagine the Atlanta Falcons not re-signing Grady Jarrett before then. But if, somehow, he becomes a free agent when the new league year kicks off, the Green Bay Packers should have serious interest.

The Packers need to strengthen the defense in any way possible. And while finding an edge rusher or safety might be considered a greater “need”, Jarrett would strengthen the pass rush with interior pressure.

Jarrett’s sack numbers have improved each year, and he finished 2018 with a career-best six sacks as well as three forced fumbles.

A fifth-round pick in 2015, Jarrett has been an important part of Dan Quinn’s defense over the past four years, and he played a key role in their run to the Super Bowl two years ago.

While the Falcons threw away a 28-3 lead in the Super Bowl loss to the New England Patriots, without Jarrett they may have never even built such a strong lead. He led the Falcons with three sacks and 3.5 tackles for loss that evening.

This past season Jarrett had the fifth-highest Pro Football Focus grade among interior defenders, and he’s fourth in the top 25 free agents rankings by Gregg Rosenthal of NFL.com.

For all of those reasons one has to assume the Falcons will make re-signing Jarrett a top priority, but the longer it goes, the greater the odds are he’ll opt to hit free agency and earn a big deal elsewhere.

Packers defensive line could dominate with Jarrett

The Packers defensive line is already in good shape with Kenny Clark and Mike Daniels leading the way.

Clark also posted six sacks in 2018, earned PFF‘s ninth-best grade among interior defenders and was named a Pro Bowl alternate. Daniels’ season was cut short due to injury but he was a Pro Bowler in 2017 and has been a key part of the defensive line for many years.

Now imagine the Packers re-sign Muhammad Wilkerson to another one-year deal and bring in Jarrett. That group could easily become the league’s strongest defensive line very quickly.

And while edge rusher would still be a need, Mike Pettine’s defense would have a strong interior pass rush. Jarrett, Clark and Daniels combined for 14 sacks in 2018, and Daniels didn’t play the full season.

Re-signing cornerback Bashaud Breeland should be a priority for general manager Brian Gutekunst. The secondary has improved under defensive coordinator Mike Pettine, and with another offseason to address the safety position, the group should continue to get better in 2019.

By adding a player like Jarrett to the defensive line and selecting an edge rusher high in the draft, the Packers defense would have the potential to become a top-10 unit in 2019.