Billy86 Posted January 27, 2020 Share Posted January 27, 2020 (edited) General mission of the offseason: Improve the passing game and run defense while not weakening other areas of the team, and figure in some long term replacements for trouble positions (WR, TE, ILB) and areas that may need replacing sooner rather than later (RT). Restructure: David Bakhtiari – 5yrs/75mn/12.8mn year one – gives him 15mn/yr average, only below Lane Johnson (18mn), and Trenton Brown/Taylor Lewan (16mn) so I’m banking on a small hometown discount here. Frees us up a little money for next Corey Linsley – 4yrs/45mn/8.5mn year one – gives him the highest per-year salary out of any centre in the league, gets the extension in early, and cuts us out an extra little bit of cap room in the process. Ideally we can structure this in a way that we can get out somewhat easily, as cap issues will mount in the next 2-3 years and Patrick did look quite decent in there this season. Resign: Bulaga - 3yr, 34mn, 8mnyr 1 - completely forgot to add this in, so doing this in a rush!! Small bit of hometown discount and wanting to win a SB at play here, but he is getting up a little in years and is one of the most consistently injured players of the decade so I think we have a hope of getting something like 8mn-12mn-14mn over the three years of the deal. Blake Martinez – 4yrs/42mn/8mn yr one – maybe a little wishful thinking on the contract, but I think the NFCCG may have really hurt his stock, especially if it makes teams look closer at our run defense throughout the year as coverage is not a strong point of his. I’m not as down on him as others, though he does seem to need to have a system and decent line in front of him to shine. I would also be OK taking someone like Van Noy or Schobert on a similar deal, though feel Martinez may be a better compliment to Burks/Patrick Queen. If he digs his feet in for Mosley/Wagner type money, they we need to cut our losses and look at one of those alternatives. Mason Crosby – 4yrs/15mn/2.75mn year one – still has the leg, had a great year this season, has tonnes of experience, is good in the clutch, and his consistency regardless of weather is a bit underrated. Allen Lazard – 1yr/800k – no brainer, should still be very cheap, has some decent upside, gives us something different (physicality, aggression), helps the run game, seems a good locker room guy. Tyler Lancaster – 1yr/800k – still good in a reduced role, should make a cheap backup NT who can rotate in on some run downs. Jason Spriggs – 1yr/1mn – I would have preferred Veldheer, but Spriggs gives passable backup play for a cheaper cost, allowing us to resign Tramon Williams. Has plenty of playing experience, and missing last year should give us a cheaper deal. Tyler Ervin – 1yr/1mn – gave a huge boost to our return game, and has shown to be a potentially useful trick player in space – may wind up with 15-20 catches and 10-15 runs over a season. Tramon Williams – 1yr/3mn – still able to bring it at his age, I initially had us keeping Velhdeer and getting a cheap journeyman FA but switched back to Spriggs + Williams instead. Chandon Sullivan – 1yr/0.8mn – has shown he is a capable NFL player, had some very fun moments, and has every opportunity to start the year as our no.3 CB. Released/Traded Graham – goes without saying, doubtful we even get a 2021 7th rounder for him from a team desperate at TE with tonnes of cap, so I’m listing for release. Taylor – would be a nice backup option for his final year, but we can’t afford it. I think we might have a chance of getting a 2021 7th round type pick for him to save against the cap, he is good enough to be put in competition with young guys that have high upside but who are raw/unproven. Otherwise, release. Veldheer – I had the option for Spriggs + Tramon, or Veldheer + cheap journeyman CB. I went with Williams/Spriggs, but this is easily changeable for anyone preferring the other option at a likely near-identical cost. Kumerow, Allison, Fackrell, Goodson, Spriggs, Tonyan, Campbell, Redmond – all welcome to come to camp and see if they can fight their way into keeping their roster spot(s), but I just don’t see them winning out. Signings/Trades Hargrave – can also be DJ Reader, take your pick of whichever you prefer! Chris Jones is going to be a little too expensive, but either of these guys will still bring so, so much to the line beside Kenny Clark, and will allow the third spot to be used rotationally, which should hopefully see Lancaster and Lowry playing more like 2018 and less like 2019. Hargrave/Clark/Lancaster/Pennel will also allow us to really clamp down on the run when it is obvious, a bit like Pickett/Raji/Green in 2010. AJ Green – Having missed 75% of the last two years and turning 32 in the summer, we manage to get Green on a prove it deal. With a very deep WR class he may not see many big offers, and there probably wouldn’t be a better landing spot in the league for him to land – he can build up the stats with Rodgers, and a better receiving corps (plus run defense) could have seen us in the Superbowl – something which would not only ramp up his value more, but which after a decade on the Bengals he may really want. David Njoku (trade) – Njoku had 5 catches last year, despite being fit basically the whole season. For some reason he seems to have fallen out with management there which we taken advantage of. I was a big fan of his potential his first two years, and while blocking isn’t a great strength from what I have seen, he could really help us stretch the field and give another dynamic option downfield. He is quite cheap, and we can probably get him for very little on the last year of his rookie deal. I am giving up Josh Jackson and a conditional pick in 2021 in exchange. Mike Pennel – just a placeholder, basically a 320lb+ guy who we can get for 1mn or less and who has played a bit in the league. This is one of the most definitive ‘dime a dozen’ roles out there so we could sign a wide number of guys. I just went with Pennel as he had a few nice stops over the playoffs and has experience in Green Bay. Veteran minimum CB - probably late in FA or even preseason, look for anyone from Rodgers-Cromartie, to Talib, to even a Breeland, Claiborne or Verrett. I don't have a name here because it's entirely dependent on how things shake out, but someone to have as the no.5 CB that Hollman & others would need to beat out to see the field. Has to be on a veteran minimum deal due to cap constraints. Draft: Round 1, Pick 30 – Trade with NYJ for picks 48 & 79 Round 2, Pick 48 – ILB Patrick Queen: A future leader of this defense, and with the potential to legitimately be an all pro multiple times over. Could use some improvement against the run and disengaging, but has great instincts for getting to the ball and has the ‘pop’ to avoid blockers off the snap which help offset this in the short term. Burks’ lack of playing time is concerning, but Queen is a perfect option to come in and be a potential day one starter who should compliment Martinez very well. Round 4, Pick 62 – WR Jaelan Raegor: The solution to our speed problem, Raegor should be able to stretch the field unike anyone on our roster, bar possibly MVS (who outside of those routes, offers no threat). With Adams and Green, plus Lazard and possibly QB down the depth chart, there will be no pressure for him to perform as a rookie, allowing him to develop instead and to maximise the snaps where he is on the field. Round 3, Pick 79 – Trade with BAL: Ravens get picks 79, 209 and 240. Green Bay get picks 96 & 99. Round 3, pick 94 – OT Isaiah Wilson: An absolute monster at 6’7, 340lbs who could be Bulaga’s long term replacement. Also competed in lacrosse and wrestling, meaning good agility, stamina and ‘fighting in a phone booth’ characteristics. The biggest knocks on him are that he is raw and will need training up having only taken up the sport two years ago, which thankfully we should have little problem with, with Spriggs ahead of him. Round 3, pick 96 – OLB Jonathon Greenard. More OLBs never hurt, and sitting behind Preston, Zadarius and Gary will allow Greenard time to develop. If he develops early, it also allows us to use the other three guys differently when we rotate Greenard in. Also has the bigger body type Pettine seems to prefer, which is why I can’t really see us going for a 6’1, 240lb type of rusher in this draft unless it’s a freak athlete on a flier in the 6th or 7th. Round 3, pick 99 – S Kyle Dugger: The small school DPOY and only Div II player at the Senior Bowl where he also impressed, Dugger has ideal size and good athleticism, both developed over his time in college and apparently why bigger schools didn’t look at him. He is 6’2, 217lbs, runs a 4.41 40, a 6.7 cone (would have been 2nd best in last years combine), a 40 inch vertical and 11ft broad jump, landing him at no.19 on Bruce Feldman’s ‘Freaks List’. This guy also knows how to make a splash play, which is something I trust Pettine to utilize while he is a rookie and rounding out the rest of his game. Also gives an option in the return game with 6 punt return TDs in college. Also apparently a good student in engineering who wants to get into architecture, because having some smarts never hurt. TRADE – Packers get pick 111, Houston get 136, 192 and a 2021 7th rounder. Round 4, Pick 111 – TE Thaddeus Moss: While Njoku and Sternberger give us long term receiving TEs, Moss gives a long term replacement for Lewis. Has also shown an ability to catch the ball, and personally I would like to see us convert him to a bit of a FB/TE hybrid which should help him and the other three all see the field enough and should keep the Danny Vitale role in the team without needing to keep Danny Vitale in the team. Round 5, Pick 176 – OG Ben Bartch – a small school prospect who we again should be able to give plenty of time to develop and possibly even try to stash on the practice squad. Has good size and could develop into a decent NFL level player. Round 7, Pick 219 – RB Sewo Olonilua. A potential replacement for Jamal Williams in 2021, Oloniliua is an absolute physical freak who could be extremely punishing to face for a tired front seven late in a game. Jones can do it all, Williams more or less can too, D. Williams is more of a scat back type, and Ervin when he lines up there is more of a trick player. Will likely not feature a whole lot, but it would be nice to have a third ‘true runner’ in there for if one of Jones/Williams go down like this year in Philadelphia. TEAM OUTLOOK Offense: Green and the athleticism of Raegor/Njoku should make a huge difference stretching the field and giving us alternative options to choose from, while Moss should give us a really quality blocker who also offers a passing threat. We also have Sternberger and EQ coming back who each have a lot of potential, and the latter of which I think a lot of people forget was looking quite decent in 2017 before going down, as well as being a 2nd round prospect if not for red flags that haven’t come to fruition, and his horrible QB situation in his final year at ND. This could really open up our passing game and improve the efficiency of just about everyone involved. Our running game remains much the same, with Olonilua coming in as our third RB, and Vitale going out as our FB. Because of this I would like to see us move Moss around as a bit of a mobile blocker who can catch some passes, filling some of Vitale’s duties in the process. Vitale has one carry in his career, so we’re not losing anything on that front either. The line is the same as this year, only with Wilson being a long term Bulaga replacement for us to develop but not actually need to play much thanks to Spriggs. Bartch is also going to have time to develop, very likely on the PS, as a longer term interior option. Defense: Our defensive line is seriously strengthened with Hargrave (or Reader) alongside Kenny Clark, and Mike Pennel also there to add a big body for obvious run downs. Lancaster and Lowry back in rotational duty will be able to be optimized like they were in 2018 to much better effect, and of course Zadarius or perhaps Gary can come in to really create havoc when we want. The added bonus is that Clark + Hargrave/Reader should be around for a long time as a combo, and could be absolutely crucial in the initial post-Rodgers years. At LB, I really think Martinez and Queen could make a really good and very complimentary combo and Blake should better than this season with some help around him. Queen being there should also put a fire under Burks ***, which hopefully does something there. The fourth spot is a little barren, but we have Ty Summers and Curtis Bolton, can pick up some UDFAs there and worst case scenario, make a BJ Goodson type in the season. Otherwise, we have arguably the best OLB combo in the entire league, Gary in year two will hopefully come along quite a bit (don’t forget, Kenny nor Raji did much of anything as rookie either) and Greenard gives us more depth to rotate and still be hitting you with fresher guys in the fourth quarter. Our DB corps is largely the same, safety depth is bolstered with Dugger while CB sees us give up on Josh Jackson and doing my best to shore up the lower part of the depth chart. Special teams: No changes here outside of possible rookie contributors, we have our kicker, punter, long snapper and returner all set. 2020 Green Bay Packers Roster: (2) QB: Rodgers, Boyle (3) RB: Jones, A. Williams… D. Williams/Olonilua (6) WR: Adams, AJ Green, Lazard, Raegor… EQ, MVS (4) TE: Lewis, Sternberger, Njoku, Moss (8) OL: Bakthiari, Jenkins, Linsley, Taylor, Bulaga… Spriggs, Patrick, Wilson (6) DL: Clark, Hargrave/Reader, Lowry, Lancaster, Kingsley, Pennel (4) OLB: Zadarius, Preston, Gary, Greenard (4) ILB: Martinez, Queen… Burks, Summers (6) CB: Jaire, King, Tramon, Sullivan, Hollman, [+ 1yr vet minimum signing] (4) S: Amos, Savage, Green, Dugger (4) ST: Crosby (K), Scott (P), Ervin (KR/PR), Bradley (LS) This also leaves us with two extra roster spots to be fought for by UDFAs, PS guys and the like, which it will almost be exclusively between again due to cap issues. After this, we should enter the season with a meager 1-1.5mn remaining under the cap... but we still made it under the cap!! EDIT: Had a brainfart, re Josh Jones & Josh Jackson. Edited January 27, 2020 by Billy86 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JBURGE Posted January 27, 2020 Share Posted January 27, 2020 (edited) Love the effort on this one, well done! Nice to see Linsley get an extension instead of getting cut for once lol Obviously starting the year with Spriggs as the starting RT is an issue... I think it makes more sense with your draft to retain Veldheer, but of course that's before the draft. Love the trade for Njoku! Ironic too because we traded down with the Browns who used that pick to take Njoku. Mike Pennel is funny. I think he worked himself into a new contract with the Chiefs honestly. Edited January 27, 2020 by JBURGE Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Billy86 Posted January 27, 2020 Author Share Posted January 27, 2020 (edited) Agh, you're right! I had done a quick bit of maths on Excel and had Bulaga in there... then completely forgot to add him into the final write up! It's admittedly on a little bit of wishful thinking in terms of the deal but I wouldn't say it's entirely impossible and pays him off in the final two years. I have now added Bulaga back to the initial write up. Njoku only occurred to be as I was writing it up, and now I can't get my mind off of him. Hooper could be quality, but could very much be just OK and made to look better with Julio, Ridley, Ryan and the scheme so I didn't want to gamble on that with all the other not-quite-there potentials we have at WR & TE. I think he has sky high potential and could give us as much, if not more, than Hooper in the medium/long term, as well as maybe even immediately. And unlike Hooper, if he flops... we let him go for free after next season. And in the meantime, the money saved from Hooper basically pays for AJ Green (if he's there on prove it deal), who will absolutely not be here in 2021 whether he has 20 catches for 250 yards, or 100 for 1,500 next year.. Edited January 27, 2020 by Billy86 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PACKRULE Posted January 27, 2020 Share Posted January 27, 2020 I wish we brought Pennel back when we had him in for a try out in like week 14 or whenever that was. For some reason we didn't keep him. I'm sure we could have found room the guy can stop the run he's a mountain. Didn't agree with Gute not bringing anyone in to help on pure run downs. Espeically when Clark can get after the QB when singled up. Lancaster and Lowry under performed huge down the stretch. I think the issue with Pennel is he's a test away from 10 game or a year? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CWood21 Posted January 28, 2020 Share Posted January 28, 2020 5 hours ago, Billy86 said: Corey Linsley – 4yrs/45mn/8.5mn year one – gives him the highest per-year salary out of any centre in the league, gets the extension in early, and cuts us out an extra little bit of cap room in the process. Ideally we can structure this in a way that we can get out somewhat easily, as cap issues will mount in the next 2-3 years and Patrick did look quite decent in there this season. I'm closer to releasing Corey Linsley than I am handing him an extension. That's elite C money, and he's not an elite C. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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