The Green Bay Packers must feel really good about their pass rush after all.
With all the dust from the NFL Trade Deadline starting to settle, the Packers' situation at pass-rusher is clear. And by clear, I mean, not really changed? The one move that Green Bay made on Tuesday afternoon was sending Preston Smith to Pittsburgh for a late-round draft pick and some cap relief –not a hugely impactful decision considering the direction that Smith's week-over-week snap counts were headed.
And, notably, the Packers declined to add anyone. It was long suspected that they were in the market for either another secondary piece or another complementary pass-rusher, but GM Brian Gutekunst said in his post-Deadline press conference that he was happy with the guys that the team already has on their roster.
RELATED: Jayden Reed has a heartbreaking reaction to Packers' Preston Smith trade
GMs are always going to use that line when they fail to pull off a trade, and maybe it works out, but according to a recent report from The Athletic's NFL Insider Dianna Russini, there were deals out there to be made. And those deals didn't look that expensive, either.
Packers' best Preston Smith replacement wouldn't have cost them much
Russini reported that New York Giants edge-rusher Azeez Ojulari was available for a late fourth- or early fifth-round pick.
Teams are still trying to see what the Giants are going to do with Azeez Ojulari. New York is looking for a high 5 pick or late 4th rounder, per sources.
— Dianna Russini (@DMRussini) November 5, 2024
If the Giants decide to keep him, Ojulari becomes a free agent at the end of the season. pic.twitter.com/dHfhPQey2d
On one hand, a mid-round pick for a decent pass rusher who's going to be a free agent isn't necessarily the slam dunk that everyone assumes it is. On the other, that's exactly the kind of move you make when you think you're only one or two defensive pieces away from a division title run.
And considering how their two most recent division games have gone, it felt like they needed to do something.
Ojulari probably wouldn't single-handedly change the Packers' pass rush overnight, but the Giants' fourth-year linebacker is in the middle of the best season since his rookie year, putting up six sacks, nine QB hits, and seven tackles for a loss in nine games so far (four of those being starts).
At the very least, even those numbers would be a major upgrade from Smith, who has a third of the sacks in as many games played. The lack of movement at secondary is arguably the bigger concern for the rest of the season, but it's hard to blame Packers fans for wanting a little bit more from the deadline. Doing literally anything probably would have been a great start.