Green Bay Packers: Free Agency Predictions

NFL free agency begins on March 18th, so here are my predictions for what the Green Bay Packers will do. Both with outside signings and how they handle their own free agents.

On March 16th the NFL’s legal tampering period begins and a few days later on the 18th, NFL free agency begins. Despite the Green Bay Packers not having the same spending power that they did a year ago, they still have a number of needs to fill.

Of course, the first two that come to mind for many are inside linebacker and wide receiver. But now with it looking like Bryan Bulaga is heading elsewhere there is a monster hole at right tackle to fill. And on top of that, interior defensive lineman, tight end and cornerback should all be addressed in either free agency or in the draft.

As we’ve seen during the previous two offseasons under GM Brian Gutekunst, when there are holes to fill on this Packers team, between free agency and the draft he is very aggressive in doing so. In 2018 it was with the cornerback and tight end positions. Then last offseason it was the edge rusher, safety, and interior offensive line that were addressed.

So like I already mentioned, even though Green Bay doesn’t have the same available cap space, I still expect them to be active. However, they just won’t be signing four high-profile free agents this time around.

And now with the free agency period just about here, I’m going to make my predictions for who the Packers bring in from the outside as well as how they handle the 21 free agents that they have internally.

Packers Sign Cory Littleton

The way I see it is that the Green Bay Packers can make one big signing this offseason and considering that this year’s draft class is loaded with wide receiver talent while the linebacker group is very top-heavy, I see Gutey attacking this need in free agency with the best available player at the position.

The 26-year-old Littleton would give the Packers exactly what they need in the middle of their defense. He can be on the field for all three downs, he has very good sideline-to-sideline range, he makes impact plays, he’s a reliable tackler, and solid in coverage as well. Littleton’s skill set is what teams are looking for nowadays at the linebacker position.

I also think that addressing the linebacker position in free agency really frees up Green Bay in the draft and allows them more freedom to take a wide receiver, a tackle, or any other position of need.

The Packers sign a TE but not Austin Hooper

At the NFL Combine, the Green Bay Packers were linked to Austin Hooper but as I mentioned above, I think they spend their big money on Cory Littleton instead. However, with a very young tight end group made up of Jace Sternberger and (probably) Robert Tonyan, a veteran presence could prove to be very valuable.

The transition from college to the NFL level for the tight end is one of the more difficult moves to make and between Sternberger and Tonyan, they have just three combined starts. Although they both certainly show promise, there is still the real possibility that the 2020 season comes with a lot of ups and downs for this young duo.

So this is where I think a veteran can help provide some stability much more so than drafting another young player. Not to mention that the tight end class just isn’t that deep this year. Some names to keep your eyes on include Marcedes Lewis and the recently released Delanie Walker.

Packers sign Michael Pierce

Signing an inside linebacker is a great first step to solidifying the middle of this defense but the final move should be bringing in a run-stuffer to provide Kenny Clark some help on the interior. And Michael Pierce is just the guy for the job.

He doesn’t have any eye-popping stats when it comes to sacks or tackles but that isn’t necessarily what he was asked to do in Baltimore either. He eats up blocks, clogs up the middle of the field and stops the run, which is exactly what the Packers need.

I also have to mention the Baltimore connection with Milt Hendrickson and since he has taken over as the Packers’ Director of Football Operations, they’ve pursued a few former Ravens’ players. And given Pierce’s position as a nose tackle, he isn’t going to break the bank either as Spotrac is projecting him to land a two-year contract with an average annual value of $4.7 million.

Packers sign Tajae Sharpe

We all know this wide receiver draft class is stacked and the Green Bay Packers should certainly grab at least one if not two receivers there. However, that doesn’t mean that they shouldn’t look to free agency either. This is a position that needs a major shakeup and adding a young, low-cost player like Tajae Sharpe is a move that should be on their radar.

After a solid rookie season in 2016 where he totaled 522 receiving yards, Sharpe was injured in 2017 and most recently in 2019, he began to lose playing time.  However, he was a very reliable target catching over 71 percent of the passes thrown his way, with no drops, and his quarterbacks had a passer rating of 120.0 when targeting him according to Pro Football Focus.

And coming from Tennessee, Sharpe did play under Matt LaFleur so there is that familiarity with this Packers’ offense as well.

The expectation with this signing isn’t that Sharpe is going to transform this Packers’ passing game. But he is only 25-years-old, he’s a reliable pass catcher, and he won’t cost very much. It’s a low-risk move for Green Bay that adds another receiver to the mix for 2020.

Packers own free agents

The Green Bay Packers have 21 of their own free agents that they have to make decisions on as well, and below are my predictions for which players are re-signed and which players they move on from. For a more in-depth look at my reasoning for each decision, click this link here.

Re-signed

Tramon Williams, Jared Veldheer, Danny Vitale, Marcedes Lewis, Ibraheim Campbell, Tyler Ervin, Robert Tonyan, Jake Kumerow, Tyler Lancaster, Chandon Sullivan, Will Redmond, Allen Lazard, John Leglue.

Player signs elsewhere

Bryan Bulaga, Geronimo Allison, Jason Spriggs, Ryan Grant, Kyler Fackrell, B.J. Goodson, Blake Martinez, Malcolm Johnson