Green Bay Packers: 5 Question Marks Still Remain After Offseason

Linebacker

Yes, Blake Martinez came with his limitations in coverage and although he racked up a lot of tackles, oftentimes they took place four, five, or even six yards downfield. But with that said, he was about as durable of a player as you will find at the linebacker position and he was the quarterback of this defense.

While I certainly understand not re-signing him, especially given what the New York Giants paid him, his absence does leave a hole in the middle of this defense.

In his place will be free-agent addition, Christian Kirksey, who I believe is an upgrade over Martinez if he is healthy and playing at his best. Not to mention that his contract costs much less as well. However, based on the previous two seasons, those are some big ifs.

Kirksey’s best season came in 2016 and 2017 with the Cleveland Browns, but in the last two years he has battled injuries. In fact, he has appeared in only nine games during that stretch. And if Kirksey is injured once again or just simply struggling, there are several question marks on the roster behind him.

Oren Burks hasn’t given the Green Bay Packers the coverage ability that they had hoped for and he struggles to defend the run. While Ty Summers, Kamal Martin, and Curtis Bolton are all still relative unknowns.

So just like with the other positions listed before it, we don’t really know what to expect from this Packers’ linebacker unit in 2020.