Brian Gutekunst stood at the podium and bluntly said the Green Bay Packers' pass rush had to improve. How they must win with four rushers and "get better if we're going to accomplish our goals."
Unless the Packers believe their current pass-rush rotation will magically level up, they have to find help this offseason. So far, Gutekunst has done little to rectify the team's most glaring weakness.
The Packers started free agency with a bang, questionably handing guard Aaron Banks a $77 million contract before smartly acquiring versatile cornerback Nate Hobbs. However, their activity quickly came screeching to a halt.
Good luck finding pass-rush help in what remains of the free agency market.
The Packers missed a chance to land a difference-maker like Josh Sweat. Dayo Odeyingbo joined the division-rival Chicago Bears, Chase Young stayed in New Orleans, and Joey Bosa made a surprising move to the Buffalo Bills. Khalil Mack never even made it to free agency.
A reunion with Za'Darius Smith will never happen, while reuniting with Preston Smith shouldn't happen.
The Packers are running out of options. The only game-changing solution is to give the Cincinnati Bengals a call.
Packers should push for Trey Hendrickson trade after swinging and missing in free agency
One major domino in the pass-rush market yet to fall is NFL sack champion Trey Hendrickson. The Bengals surprisingly made the 30-year-old available for trade despite landing first-team All-Pro honors last season.
According to The Athletic's Dianna Russini, one general manager believes the Bengals' asking price is "ridiculous."
It's unclear what that asking price is, but it's fair to assume Cincinnati wants at least a first-round pick in exchange for a pass-rusher with 35 sacks over the past two seasons. It gets complicated because the trading team must also pay top-of-the-market money for a player entering their age-31 season.
It's also why many analysts believe the Bengals could eventually have to significantly lower their price.
The Packers should make a strong push. Gutekunst spoke about the need for urgency from his team, but that should also include his work as the roster builder. He has identified a need, but relying on the draft and a defensive line coaching change to fix what ails this pass rush is, well, not urgent. It's a high-risk strategy.
Green Bay won't compete for a Super Bowl without upgrading its pass rush. As things stand, Rashan Gary must finally realize his All-Pro potential in Year 7, and Lukas Van Ness must bounce back from a disappointing start to his NFL career. Failing that, the outlook is gloomy.
The Packers need a difference-maker. While they could hit a home run in the draft, a trade for Hendrickson would show they are serious about becoming contenders.
He would immediately solve Green Bay's biggest concern and lay the foundations for a top-five defense — a championship defense.