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Grading each part of the Green Bay Packers offseason

By Freddie Boston

LANDOVER, MD - DECEMBER 17: Outside Linebacker Preston Smith #94 of the Washington Redskins recovers a fumble in the first quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at FedEx Field on December 17, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images)
LANDOVER, MD - DECEMBER 17: Outside Linebacker Preston Smith #94 of the Washington Redskins recovers a fumble in the first quarter against the Arizona Cardinals at FedEx Field on December 17, 2017 in Landover, Maryland. (Photo by Patrick Smith/Getty Images) /
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BALTIMORE, MD – SEPTEMBER 23: Za’Darius Smith #90 of the Baltimore Ravens sacks Case Keenum #4 of the Denver Broncos during the first half at M&T Bank Stadium on September 23, 2018 in Baltimore, Maryland. (Photo by Scott Taetsch/Getty Images) /

Free agency

To be successful in free agency, you need to be willing to take a risk or two. The Green Bay Packers rarely did that under Ted Thompson, but new GM Brian Gutekunst isn’t afraid to swing for the fences on occasion. Free agency can be a lottery — make the wrong move and you’re stuck with a big contract for a player not meeting expectations, but by deciding to avoid free agency altogether, you run the risk of missing out on so much talent.

The Packers needed to fix their pass rush, and relying on the draft alone in itself would’ve been a huge risk. Gutekunst understood he needed to add playmakers on defense, but doing so would require outbidding other teams. Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith will both come with huge cap hits in the coming seasons, but they are both young, talented pass rushers, and that can be hard to find. If the two Smiths play at a high level in Mike Pettine’s defense, the contracts will absolutely be worth it.

The same can be said with safety Adrian Amos, who immediately addresses a position of need. Gutekunst took the pressure off in the draft by selecting one of the top available safeties on the market — Amos is a very good player, is still young but offers experience having played in the league’s best defense a season ago.

Green Bay also got stronger along the offensive line by adding Billy Turner, who is an excellent athlete and also offers versatility with the ability to play at almost any position along the line.

Did the Packers take a few risks? Sure. But for a six-win team with a Hall-of-Fame quarterback, that’s absolutely the right approach to take.

Grade: A

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