The Packers leave 2017 with nothing but uncertainty. With the exception of Mike McCarthy, nearly the entire coaching staff and front office has turned over with former Director of Player Personnel Brian Gutekunst taking over for Ted Thompson as the general manager. McCarthy also brought back former offensive coordinator Joe Philbin, and, as of this writing, the defensive coordinator position remains vacant. This offseason figures to be an offseason like no other as the injury to Aaron Rodgers exposed major flaws within the team, and raised questions about the future viability of this roster. These are the Packers’ biggest flaws.
Wide Receiver
This is the elephant in the room. Rodgers hides so many flaws on offense and it’s easy to simply gloss over the skill positions and assume that everything will be OK, but as it turns out the Packers receiving corps isn’t even average. Jordy Nelson was the worst receiver in the league by far when catching passes from Brett Hundley. Hundley is partially responsible for that, but both Davante Adams and Randall Cobb not only avoided similar declines, they actually improved slightly on the numbers they produced with Rodgers. Rodgers will be back and it’s possible that Nelson’s numbers will return with him, but it’s clear that he’s no longer a credible outside threat. When running routes for Hundley he was unable to quickly explode up the field or press corners for extra yards after the catch.
Cobb is still useful, but he truly excels when combined with above-average outside receivers. Geronimo Allison proved to be “just a guy” while Trevor Davis had a baffling season, displaying almost no development. Jeff Janis is a special teams ace, but that is all. In 2015 the entire offense fell apart when Nelson blew out his ACL. Even with prime Rodgers, the Packers cannot function without good outside players, and with only Adams currently filling that role, they are extremely vulnerable.
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Edge Rusher
Nick Perry and Clay Matthews put together decent seasons on paper recording 7, and 7.5 sacks respectively, but their actual play left quite a bit to be desired. Perry padded his sack stats with big games against Seattle’s terrible offensive line, and a three-sack effort against the Mike Glennon-led Bears, but against any competent offensive line he was a non-factor. Matthews was better, but he is most useful moving around the formation to create mismatches, and to get the most out of his speed. The secondary shoulders much of the blame of the last two seasons, and injuries there have hurt, but the fundamental problem on defense is a pass rush that does not speed up the internal clocks of opposing quarterbacks. Until the new regime fixes this, the old problems will persist.
Safety
I have no idea what happened to Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, but he’s now been one of the league’s worst safeties for a season and a half. Some of this may be scheme-related as the unforgivable sin of the Dom Capers defense is letting receivers get by the last line of defense, but the practical reality is that no one guards more empty space than Clinton-Dix, no one breaks on the ball with less aggression than Clinton-Dix, and you could make a feature film-length movie of Clinton-Dix running up to players who have gained 20-plus yards and fallen down in front of him of their own accord.
Clinton-Dix is still young and a new coordinator may do him some good, but that is hardly a sure thing. A strong safety instills confidence in the corners, and allows them to execute without second-guessing whether or not the safety will be where he is supposed to be. Morgan Burnett is a free agent and no sure bet to return to the team. If he doesn’t this position group is a disaster.
Tight End
Martellus Bennett was supposed to solidify the position. Instead Bennett was a disaster on and off the field, and Lance Kendricks and Richard Rodgers were adequate at best. A true pass-catching tight end is essential to the offense, and even though Jared Cook is a below-average player, his field-stretching speed was missed.
Quarterback
Brett Hundley showed himself to be inferior to the average veteran retread while simultaneously destroying any trade value, and Joe Callahan lacks the physical tools to play the position at the highest level. Aaron Rodgers will be entering his age 35 season in 2018, and as he ages, having a competent backup becomes more important. The team should either invest a draft pick in a new development project as they did with Hundley, or pay for someone in free agency.
Next week, I will detail the Packers greatest strengths.
