Packers: How much have they improved after first week of free agency?

After one week of free agency, the Green Bay Packers have had more subtractions than additions. Has the team really improved?

Week one of free agency has seen the Green Bay Packers lose and gain a starting right tackle as well as a middle linebacker. Bryan Bulaga was replaced by Ricky Wagner and Blake Martinez was replaced by Christian Kirksey. The Packers have also lost a key role player in Kyler Fackrell as well as their seldom-used fullback Danny Vitale. Should these changes be seen as a gain or a loss?

In the case of Wagner for Bulaga, the Packers are taking a step back. Wagner was a good right tackle while with the Baltimore Ravens but his play took a step back during his time with the Detroit Lions. Bulaga, when healthy, is one of the top right tackles in the game. When in the lineup, the Packers can leave Bulaga on an island and give little help against good pass rushers.

Wagner’s return to Wisconsin may help his play but there is no guarantee he can even come close to being what Bulaga was.

The case with Kirksey will depend on if he can stay healthy.

If he can, Kirksey is a clear athletic upgrade from Martinez. Kirksey has the skills required to be better in coverage than Martinez as well as the explosiveness to make plays on the other side of the line Martinez lacked.

The only other addition the Packers have made is by re-signing some of their own. But having Marcedes Lewis and Will Redmond back won’t fill in the holes of Vitale and Fackrell.

There’s still time and work for the Packers to do. With limited space (roughly just over $12 million, according to Spotrac) the Packers will have to get creative if they want to add anyone else other than draft picks.

With those losses, have the Packers as a team actually got better? To be sure, the judgment of how much better the team can be shouldn’t be had just by the additions they have made so far. The draft is still to come and the biggest improvement will come from another year in their current system. But taking a look around at the other five NFC playoff teams, the Packers are somewhere between the Minnesota Vikings and New Orleans Saints.

Minnesota will lose more than they gain. Their current salary cap situation makes it that way. The Saints, meanwhile, have taken their to-do list and started checking as many things off as they can before we even hit the draft. Emmanuel Sanders is a big get for the team. He is not a megastar in the mold of Amari Cooper or DeAndre Hopkins, but he will be the perfect complement for Michael Thomas and Jared Cook on the Saints offense.

The San Francisco 49ers made themselves better with a simple trade. Yes, losing DeForest Buckner will hurt. But the 49ers defensive front is so loaded it won’t be much of a loss. Also, gaining an extra first-round pick, one that is in the top half of the draft mind you, will allow the 49ers to add a cheap replacement with first-round talent. With a deep wide receiver class this year, the 49ers can easily find a replacement for their only other major loss, the aforementioned Sanders.

The Philadelphia Eagles helped themselves while also hurting the Packers’ division rivals. Adding Darius Slay fills a big hole that has been in the Eagles secondary. It also takes away a very talented corner from the Lions.

One of the last major free agent dominos to fall will tell us more about the Seattle Seahawks’ offseason. Where Jadeveon Clowney ends up and what they do to replace him will determine how much better Seattle gets.

I highlighted these points to get a gauge on what the Packers needed to do to keep pace with the other playoff teams. There is also the addition of Tom Brady to the NFC that will determine the hierarchy of the conference next fall.

The Arizona Cardinals and Dallas Cowboys (if they can get Dak Prescott signed and in camp on time) also made some additions that should help them keep in the playoff race.

Meanwhile, the Packers still have not added any new receiving talent to the offense. We may never know how hard of a run Brian Gutekunst made at tight end Austin Hooper, we just know he won’t be catching passes in a Packers uniform next season.

The team was probably never in the Amari Cooper sweepstakes but the reunion with Randall Cobb won’t happen after he signed with the Houston Texans. Robby Anderson is still out there but is probably out of the Packers’ price range.

We’re still a few weeks away from the draft and there are moves the Packers can make. But, as of right now, it’s hard to say the Packers have done much to improve their team from a year ago. Gutekunst let us know early there wasn’t going to be as much action this year as last. But after a deep run to the NFC championship game, it was expected by some the Packers would still find a way to be aggressive.

Gutekunst may still have a trick or two up his sleeve. But my guess is we won’t see much, if anything, until the Packers are on the clock with the 30th pick of the draft.