The NFL offseason is officially underway, and the Green Bay Packers have plenty of decisions to make over the next couple of months.
While the Packers had a solid 11-6 campaign and made the playoffs for a second straight season, it was made clear throughout the season that they're not quite ready to compete with the elite teams in the NFC.
As such, it's up to GM Brian Gutenkunst and head coach Matt LaFleur to address every need on this roster in an attempt to make Green Bay a genuine contender, whether it's deciding who to cut (we're looking at you, Jaire Alexander), who to extend, which contracts to restructure, which pending free agents to bring back or let walk, and, of course, who to select once the 2025 NFL Draft rolls around.
Yeah, it's a process.
We're not here to get into everything on the list above, but we will focus our attention on the last two items.
As far as pending free agents go, the Packers are in pretty good shape. While 19 players are set to hit the market in one way or another, most could effectively be deemed expendable at this point.
One such example is center Josh Myers, whose 54.2 overall PFF grade ranked 38th at the position this past season. His grade was also the lowest among all Green Bay offensive linemen. So, the likelihood of him returning seems low.
Luckily, the Packers' next center could already be on the roster, one who was once called a "Hall of Fame" type of talent. All it would take is for this talent to move a couple of spots down the line — well, that and Green Bay possibly changing up its first-round draft strategy.
The Packers need to consider moving Zach Tom to center and replacing him at tackle with Mizzou's Armand Membou
The talent in question is Zach Tom, whose 85.8 overall PFF grade ranked sixth among all offensive tackles in 2024. But what's wild is that tackle may not even be his best position.
Roughly a year ago, ESPN's Rob Demovsky shared some insight on just how highly the Packers think of Tom and his versatility.
"I think the starting center is on this team right now, but it's not Josh Myers," Demovsky said. "I was told by a couple of people within the organization, they think Zach Tom is a Pro Bowl right tackle, an All-Pro guard, and a potential Hall-of-Fame center. So there's your center."
It's not as if Tom doesn't have experience at center, as he earned All-ACC honorable mention honors as a starter at the position at Wake Forest before moving to tackle. So, he should be able to make a seamless transition to the middle of the Green Bay line.
The issue for the Packers, of course, then becomes replacing Tom at right tackle. But the fix to that problem could come in the form of Armand Membou, the highly touted tackle out of Mizzou who earned Second-Team All-SEC honors this past year.
The conundrum there, though, is that Membou is expected to go in the first round of the draft. And with the Packers having bigger needs, specifically at cornerback, defensive end, and wide receiver, one has to wonder if Gutekunst would be willing to use a first-round pick to fix up the offensive line.
But Membou may be worth the risk. At 6'3" and 325 pounds, the soon-to-be 21-year-old is ridiculously strong but also has the agility to beat edge rushers to the point of attack.
He has great length to establish quick and meaningful contact from the get-go and excels in both the run game and the pass game, which would obviously be great news for both Jordan Love and Josh Jacobs, who are undoubtedly the two most important pieces of the Packers' offensive puzzle at this point.
Again, Green Bay has other pressing needs this offseason. But if Tom can perform as well at center as the organization believes he can and Membou can come in and contribute immediately, perhaps the Packers need to seriously consider taking this route.