A note here, I was going to write on Wide Receivers and Tight Ends separately. A battle with the Flu caused me to miss a week so I’m doubling up this week.

I think 2020 is the year the Packers offense starts to really show it’s stuff. The staff and players will have some comfort in the system with a year under their belts, it’s time to let it rip! In order for this to happen I think we will all agree that they need some playmakers catching the ball. The draft is chock full of talent at WR but I think they will sign a pass catcher in Free Agency as well.

WR Breshaud Perriman. 26 years old. 6’3 214 2015 round 1 pick. He’s a big outside receiver who is fast (sub 4.3 40). On his third team, has had some problems with dropped balls until this year. Maybe he could be signed for 5 million or less by the Packers? Has stayed fairly healthy and adds to the mix nicely. Much more speed than Allison has. We will have to see who is in the mix for his services, Green Bay won’t overpay.

WR Tajae Sharp. 25 years old. 6’2 194 2016 round 5 pick. He’s a Slot Guy who is quicker than fast. He might be available for less than 4 million per year. Green Bay hasn’t had a shifty slot receiver since Cobb was in his prime. I don’t know how well he can block, which is something the Packers will require in a receiver. No missed games due to injury in career.

WR Pharoh Cooper. 24 years old. 5’11 203 2016 round 4 pick. He’s another slot guy and another guy who’s is quick but not high end fast. He did return punts and kicks last year as well. Shifty guy with the ball in his hands. Maybe available for 3 to 4 million per year. Missed 10 games in 2018 with injury. This is one of my favorites, I think he adds something to the perimeter guys that’s not current;y there. A quick, twitchy guy that can run across the middle, run jet sweeps etc.

TE Hunter Henry. 26 years old. 6’5 250 2016 round 2 pick. I thought I like this guy as a Free Agent, but now I’m not so sure. He has missed a lot of games due to injury, a lot! If that lowers his price maybe there’s a deal to be made. I think his price is going to be 7 to 8 million per year, not sure Green Bay goes there. He’s a functional blocker and has decent hands. Not a burner for sure.

TE Nick Vannett. 26 years old. 6’6 257 2016 round 3 pick. As time has gone on and I’ve watched more tape I like Vannett over Henry. Lots of catches on short outs and flat patterns, quick hitters to the middle as well. Certainly not a down he middle threat. Pretty good hands. Blocks ok but sells blocks really well, disengages and gets into his pattern smoothly. Not sure what his market value is, up to 5 million a year possibly. Pittsburgh may try had to keep him around.

During last season there was a lot of talk about the offense and it’s problems. I think they just didn’t have the skill sets they needed to run the type of scheme they wanted to run. This makes me think this years Free Agency period and draft may be a bit different than previous years. I see them looking at getting those skill sets this spring, and not just speed. Motion and change of direction ability , flexibility, quickness versus straight line speed. I pretty excited to see what types of players are added and for what that means for the offense.

Go Pack Go!

Let me start by saying that as fans, we all have our favorite Free Agents that we would like to have as Packers. The Packers usually don’t sign the players we want and we get really mad. I think we should all step back and think this through.

We don’t know how much the team wants to spend a this position and how much it will cost to sign any given player. We don’t know the teams plan when it come to signing or or extending current members of the squad. There is so much we don’t know!

We like to think we know best. We want to upgrade our 3-4 DE so we go looking for Free Agent 3-4 DE with better numbers, or one we have heard discussed online. What we need to do in order to try and predict the Free Agent(s) the Packers may sign, is see things through their eyes.

Green Bay knows the type of skill sets they want at the position. What if they are going to tweak the scheme this year to better handle the run? That will make it even tougher for us to figure out what they will do.

Here are my thoughts on who they may be looking at based on whatI think I know about the Packers.

They like ascending players for big money contracts, guys who haven’t peaked and have their best football in front of them still. Just look at the four big time players they signed last March.

I have to assume they want to get bigger at the position to better defend the run and not get washed out by double teams. Adams was knocked out the the hole and to the ground a bunch last year. Lancaster got crushed and moved by double teams. They are in the neighborhood of 310-320 pounds, do we go heavier?

Injury history is big as well, Green Bay stays away from the often injured players.

Price tag is going to rule all decisions. They know how much they can spend.

So we are talking about a guy in his mid twenties, around 320 pounds and can be had for maybe five million per year or less. Of course they can’t have an injury history and be good locker room guys.

Michael Pierce 6’0 329 27 years old.

Could have a projected contract of 3 yrs – $5million avg/yr.

Played 14 regular season games with two missed due to injury.

He missed two game in 2018 and none in 2017.

Did have a drop in production in 2019.

I don’t know what caused the drop in production last year. My best guess is Z. Smith and Suggs both left last year so there wasn’t the same talent around him. Maybe he was asked to do somethings differently in the scheme. I watched a few of his games from last year and here is what I saw:

-Looks like Mike Daniels, short and stout.

-Got washed down a lot but stayed on his feet.

-No quick get off.

-Doesn’t disengage from blockers very well.

-Will fill his gap.

Again I’m not sure why his production dropped off from previous years. Based solely off of 2019 I wouldn’t be happy if they paid him $5 mil a year!

David Onyemata 6’4 300 27 years old.

Could be in the range of $4 million per year.

No games missed due to injury in his four years with the Saints.

They didn’t have another dominate inside lineman around him so maybe offenses were able to double him more in 2019?

-Athletic with quick feet.

-Quick off the ball.

-I like the way he uses his hands to get the O Lineman off of him.

-In their third down package the Saints rushed him off the nose.

I really like this guy! I think he’d be a good pick up if they could get him around 3-5 million a year.

Danny Shelton– 6’2 349 27 Years old. Great big fella to clog up the middle. I have to wonder what’s going on here. First round pick then traded to New England fairly quickly. Last year he had career highs in sacks (3) and second highest number of tackles (30). I like his measurable traits and he could be a great player for GB.

-Plays a lot at Nose but does play some DT as well.

-Doesn’t always get push but doesn’t give much ground either.

-Way better at staying on his feet than Adams and Lancaster.

-Anchors really well when double teamed.

Could be signed for as little as $4 million a year.

These are my top choices, I will list several others and why I don’t think they will work out for the Packers.

DJ Reader– I think his price tag will be too steep for the Packers to sign him. He will be in the area of $13.5 million per year. Don’t they’d spend that much and have to sign Kenny Clark to a long term deal.

A’Shawn Robinson– I liked him initially but the more I dug the less appealing he was. Not a lot of stats or snaps. Not sure he’s all that appealing to the Packers and with so may Free Agents along their D Line, I think there is good reason to think Detroit will try hard to re-sign him.

The Packers will need so hold on to some cash to extend Clark so that rules out some of the big time names on the market at Defensive Line. There still are some players that could really improve the D Line that’s could be signed at a very team friendly amount.

Just a few guys who could help the Packers this year. Not the big time names that will demand huge sums of money.

WR Breshad Perriman: 26 year old big perimeter receiver. PFF thinks he’d get a two or three year deal at about $7 million per year.

TE Hunter Henry: 25 year old versatile TE. Injury history must be looked at. $9.5 million per year multi year.

ILB Josh Bynes: 30 years old. Maybe a short term deal?

DL Michael Pierce: 27 years old and a massive run stuffer! 2018 had better production than 2019. $5 million for 4 years.

DL Danny Shelton: 26 years old. Former first round pick on his second team. Dude is a Large. $4 million a year.

DL A’Shawn Robertson: 25 years old. Former second round pick, less than $5 million a year might get it done on a long term deal with guarantees.

I’ll cover these players and more in much more depth next week.

Go Pack Go !