Green Bay Packers: 3 Mistakes Gutekunst Must Avoid This Offseason

Green Bay Packers’ general manager Brian Gutekunst must bring his A-game this offseason and avoid making these three mistakes.

The Green Bay Packers and general manager Brian Gutekunst are facing a critical offseason. After back-to-back disappointing seasons in 2017 and 2018, the Packers returned to prominence under first-year head coach Matt LaFleur, as they won the NFC North and advanced to the NFC Championship game. Now they must take the final jump to win the Super Bowl.

Unlike most of Aaron Rodgers’ tenure, Green Bay relied on defense to get the job done instead of an elite offense. Part of that is due to the decline Rodgers has experienced, but it would be unfair to put the entire blame on his shoulders. His team also severely lacked the playmakers they’ve possessed in year’s past.

The lack of playmakers isn’t the only hole Gutekunst must fill in free agency. He also needs to address right tackle, middle linebacker and the run game in general. A lot needs to be done with a limited number of resources. Still, if Gutekunst wants to take his team to the next level he must avoid making these three mistakes:

Playing Conservatively

Green Bay doesn’t have nearly as much money to spend in free agency as last year when they signed Billy Turner, Adrian Amos, Preston Smith and Za’Darius Smith. That shouldn’t prevent Gutekunst from moving all his chips to the middle of the table.

The general manager needs to find a way to maximize his cap space and draft picks this offseason. He should leave no stone unturned.

Throughout Gutekunst’s tenure, he’s always been rumored to be involved in major deals whether it be a trade for Khalil Mack or Odell Beckham Jr. However, the deals have always fallen short for one reason or another. It might be time to change that. Green Bay could be one major player away (on either side of the ball) from taking the next leap and bringing the Lombardi Trophy home.

Ignore Secondary

As previously mentioned, Green Bay needs to add a couple of offensive playmakers, right tackle, middle linebacker and interior defensive linemen–among other positions. However, Gutekunst shouldn’t ignore his secondary either.

It’s a tricky proposition, as the Packers have spent a lot of draft capital over the last few seasons to acquire Jaire Alexander (first round), Darnell Savage Jr (first round), Josh Jackson (second round) and Kevin King (second round). That should’ve been enough to address their issues. Unfortunately, it wasn’t.

Alexander could be a future star, but it’s clear Jackson is a bust. After just one season of evaluation, the Packers might’ve reached a bit for Savage, but he could still turn into an above-average player. As for King, he has more ups and downs than a roller coaster.

Without a clear need among the starters, it’s difficult to find a clear upgrade. Regardless, Gutekunst needs to provide more depth and players to push the starters to continue to get better. There were multiple games last season where the secondary seemed helpless against good passing attacks.

Focus Too Much On Playmakers

It’s clear the Packers need to add more offensive playmakers to their roster this season. Other than Davante Adams and Aaron Jones, Green Bay has none. There are a few options in free agency with the likes of Eric Ebron, Austin Hooper and Robby Anderson. All are viable candidates, but let’s not get carried away with who they are, as each has glaring weaknesses.

The draft is also a good place to grab a wide receiver. It’s got a surplus of good receivers, especially in the first couple of rounds. Although Green Bay needs to add an offensive playmaker, they shouldn’t focus all their attention on solely that.

They have established an identity as a defensive team and should continue to grow that. They have glaring weaknesses defending the run and would be better suited to build upon their strength .