Green Bay Packers Shouldn’t Get Carried Away In Free Agency
The Green Bay Packers figure to be major players for at least one big-name free agent, but they shouldn’t get carried away.
There has been a lot of hope amongst fans of the Green Bay Packers that their team will be in the running for one of the major free agents in this year’s class. The names Eric Ebron, Robby Anderson and especially Austin Hooper have come up often in casual conversations. However, the Packers should be leery of going overboard in free agency.
A year ago Green Bay hit on four free agents–Billy Turner, Adrian Amos, Preston Smith and Za’Darius Smith. The Smith’s, in particular, showed how effective free agency can be when used correctly. However, that’s not always the case.
A lot of times players use free agency to start bidding wars among teams and drive their price up. It’s hard to blame them for doing so. That also means Gutekunst must be cautious and avoid getting carried away with who’s available in this year’s free agent class.
Eric Ebron, Austin Hooper and Robby Anderson are among three of the top free agent offensive playmakers in the Packers’ range. And given their lack of pass-catchers outside of Davante Adams, Green Bay desperately needs any one of their services.
Despite each of those three players being among the best in this class, they all have flaws that shouldn’t be ignored. For Ebron, his inconsistencies stick out among other things. A year after hauling in 66 receptions for 750 yards and 13 touchdowns (all career-highs), he only hauled in 31 receptions for 375 yards and three touchdowns in 11 games last season.
Hooper is a little more reliable and has seen his reception total, receiving yards and touchdowns increase in each of the past three seasons. Regardless, he’s not necessarily a game-changer despite possible getting elite money for his position.
And, yes, Anderson possesses elite speed the Packers have been missing at receiver. However, that hasn’t always translated into results. He has never hauled in more than 63 receptions and has only surpassed 800 receiving yards once in his career–back in 2017.
The Packers also have other needs they must address on defense that shouldn’t be ignored in free agency. With a limited amount of cap space, Gutekunst can’t get carried away only focusing on offensive playmakers in free agency. Especially with the incredible depth the draft provides at wide receiver.
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Throughout his tenure as Packers’ general manager, Gutekunst has shown he won’t leave any stone unturned well also knowing where to draw the line in terms of price. Hopefully, that continues when it comes to players in the above-average tiers such as Anderson, Ebron and Hooper. Unless it’s an elite playmaker, Green Bay shouldn’t get carried away in free agency.