The NFL offseason is coming to a close, and that is exciting for a number of reasons. The obvious being that football is finally almost back in our lives. Thankfully, it also gives football fans and media actual topics to discuss, as opposed to the seemingly endless drivel of lists and speculation.
Don't get me wrong, these topics are something I benefit from, here at Lombardi Ave and on social media. I love it too. I'll pull back the curtain for just a moment. I live in Green Bay, grew up nearby, went to college here, and I worked in the Packers Hall of Fame for a time.
Very few things drive me up a wall like someone who clearly doesn't pay attention to the team and uses a national platform to trash the team.
The Packers continue to slip under the radar with offseason rankings
With about a month until the beginning of training camp, most major moves for this offseason are in the books. Technically, anything can happen, but we are unlikely to see anything that moves the needle before training camp. The big free agents have signed. The NFL Draft feels like a distant memory. It is almost go time.
That said, the last round of offseason nonsense is making its rounds. Earlier this week, CBS Sports' Jordan Dajani ranked the biggest offseason losers, and his rankings could not make any less sense. Perhaps the biggest surprise was the reigning AFC Champion New England Patriots in the three slot, but just behind that came the Green Bay Packers as the fourth-biggest loser.
"The Packers have finished as the NFC's No. 7 seed in three straight seasons, and no one was picking them to win the Super Bowl this past year after they limped to the finish line on a four-game losing streak. Green Bay has established itself as a middle-of-the-road team, and the problem is I think it got worse this offseason," Dajani writes.
Everyone is certainly entitled to their own opinion. That is one of the beauties of sports. We all perceive things differently. When you dig into Dajani's reasoning, though, it completely falls apart, at least if you pay some attention to the Packers.
He did get a couple of things right. The team will be without Micah Parsons for at least the first four weeks of the season, there is some uncertainty with Josh Jacobs' status amid the investigation into an alleged domestic violence situation, and the team saw a number of free agents leave in the offseason. The validity ends there.
No offense to the guys that left, but Dajani may be overhyping those departures. He writes that Romeo Doubs was Green Bay's most reliable receiver, something that certainly was debatable, while also putting Nate Hobbs, Rashan Gary, and Elgton Jenkins on a pedestal.
Again, nothing against those players. They played a lot of significant snaps for the Packers, but in lifting up those guys, he completely undersells the additions of Javon Hargrave, Zaire Franklin, and Brandon Cisse. He also never even mentions Jager Burton, who is turning heads already, and Dani Dennis-Sutton, who may end up being one of the top steals in the draft.
A bit further down, Dajani cites the Chicago Bears' best season in a decade, that the Detroit Lions "are always going to be competitive," and that the Minnesota Vikings have optimism due to Kyler Murray's arrival, for some reason. Yet, he has less optimism about the Packers than he has in years.
Simply put, Dajani completely misses the mark on Green Bay's offseason. The end of the 2025-26 season was certainly far from ideal, though arguably very nuanced. Losing Devonte Wyatt and Micah Parsons, in short order, completely shifted the Packers' defensive identity. Injuries also shook up Green Bay's offensive line quite substantially.
In turn, the Packers added a former Pro Bowler to bolster its line in Hargrave, another former Pro Bowler in Franklin, a big depth add to the offensive line in Burton, an elite athlete in Dennis-Sutton, and what figures to be an upgrade at corner with Cisse over Hobbs. Even doubting the rookies, Franklin is a fine replacement for Quay Walker, and Green Bay has positioned itself very well by building offensive line depth over the past few years.
Additionally, what could be most offensive to Packers fans is completely ignoring the growth that Jordan Love took as a starter last year. Love was a rising MVP darkhorse last season, until a concussion derailed the end of the regular season for the Packers' signal caller.
With Green Bay's playoff fate sealed, Love remained out for the team's final two regular-season games but picked up right where he left off with an incredible postseason performance, going 24-of-46 and throwing for 323 yards and four touchdowns.
Do the Packers have a couple of question marks? Sure. A veteran pass-rusher could have been a big get, maybe someone like Josh Sweat. Running back depth, even with Josh Jacobs being available, could have been addressed, though MarShawn Lloyd being healthy to this point of the offseason is a welcome sign.
All in all, don't let the uninformed people steer you wrong. The Packers are entering the season in a great position. Training camp is almost here, and the team will be able to prove the doubters wrong once again.
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