Green Bay Packers: Three players not being talked about enough

As we look ahead to the 2019 season, there are three players on the Green Bay Packers roster that aren’t being talked about as much as they should be.

We are in the midst of probably the most intriguing Green Bay Packers offseason in the last decade. Everyone wants a sneak peek at Matt LaFleur’s offense and how Aaron Rodgers will perform in it.

Defensively, the Packers should see much improvement from last year after adding two new starting safeties and two free agent edge rushers. These storylines tend to steal the thunder away from some unsung heroes still around in Green Bay.

The most talked about Packers are Rodgers, Davante Adams, and the young receivers and the new additions to the defense. Understandably so, but I am here to shed some light on some players we shouldn’t forget about in 2019.

Corey Linsley

It should be criminal how vastly underrated center Corey Linsley is in the overall scope of the Green Bay Packers roster. He’s likely the second-best offensive lineman behind David Bakhtiari and he has not missed a snap on offense in each of the past two seasons. That alone is just an absurd stat in and of itself.

Linsley is easily a top-five center in today’s NFL but because he is not yet highly decorated with Pro Bowls and All-Pro selections he mostly goes unnoticed. Rodgers has taken a beating the last two years which is likely an adverse factor. That still doesn’t take away from how rock solid Linsley is even when his supporting cast falls short.

In 728 snaps in pass protection, the Packers man in the middle only surrendered four sacks and that is with a banged up Lane Taylor to his left and revolving door at right guard.  Outside of those four sacks, he allowed Rodgers to only get hit twice. Looking at his numbers, Linsley also allowed a quarterback hurry once every 90 snaps.

There is no doubt in my mind that Linsley’s first Pro-Bowl bid is coming but it should have already happened.

Geronimo Allison

Everyone wants to know who the number two receiver will be behind Davante Adams but the answer for right now should be pretty obvious. Before he got hurt last season, Allison was Rodgers’ second option as he was on his way to a breakout year.

On any other team, Allison might be a third receiver at best but with Rodgers, he is a difference maker that can give you solid production.

Allison isn’t a vertical threat or even a polished route runner that can break off of the NFL’s best cover corners. Instead, Allison wins with consistency and the strong hands of a possession receiver which is the perfect complement to Adams and Green Bay’s offense.

Fans should be excited about Marquez Valdes-Scantling and Equanimeous St. Brown, however, Allison will likely be the first guy Rodgers turns to when defenses are trying to take away Adams.

A few months ago the team brought Allison back on a one-year prove-it deal but if he can emerge as a consistent receiver in LaFleur’s system, there is no reason the Green Bay Packers shouldn’t try to sign him to a multi-year contract.

Kyler Fackrell

Fackrell’s 10.5-sack season came out of nowhere last year. For his first two years, we were all questioning what the Packers saw in him when they selected him in the third round of the 2016 NFL draft. Now most of us are glad they hung onto to him as Fackrell has developed into quite an effective pass rusher.

Fackrell’s success in 2018 mostly came from his ability to win in one on ones. Opposing teams were not appropriately considering his speed as they instead game planned to neutralize Clay Matthews, Nick Perry, and the rest of Green Bay’s defensive front.

Entering next season, Fackrell is still the third outside linebacker but he can still put up similar numbers to what he did a year ago. Add Za’Darius Smith, Preston Smith, Rashan Gary, while also remembering Kenny Clark, and Mike Daniels and Fackrell could be another afterthought.

If that’s the case, he will continue to wear down tackles and affect the quarterback. Fackrell may never be a highly-regarded player but he is still a very good one and can be an important player on the Packers defense in 2019.