Rundown of the Green Bay Packers 23 Free Agents
By Paul Bretl
Green Bay Packers Unrestricted Free Agents
This is the free-agent designation that we are all most familiar with. These players can negotiate with any team and can sign with any team that they wish for any contract value.
Davante Adams
Adams put together another All-Pro season as he continues to cement himself as the best receiver in the game. Per reports, he and the Green Bay Packers are still off in contract negotiations, with Adams looking to be paid around $30 million per year while the Packers are in the $23 to $25 million range.
Lucas Patrick
Patrick will take his lumps at times, but over the last two seasons, with one primarily at right guard and the other primarily at center, he has provided much-needed stability to this offensive line unit.
Dennis Kelly
Admittedly, it was a rough showing for Kelly in the NFC Divisional Round where he allowed five pressures, but in Billy Turner’s absence leading up to that game, he filled in very well–which is why he started in the playoffs. He allowed only one sack and four pressures over those five regular-season games per PFF.
Tyler Lancaster
Lancaster oftentimes won’t show up on the stat sheet, but he does the dirty work on this defensive front, occupying double-teams and taking up space. He is also more of a run-defender than a pass-rusher. With that said, it’s worth mentioning that he played a key role in that blocked field goal kick against San Francisco, and that wasn’t his first special teams miscue this season.
Whitney Mercilus
In joining the Green Bay Packers about halfway through the season, Mercilus was revitalized, tallying 10 pressures, a sack, and he ranked 32nd among all edge rushers from Weeks 7 through 9 in PFF’s pass-rush productivity metric prior to his biceps injury.
Corey Bojorquez
Bojorquez had some rocky moments here and there, but overall he was a significant upgrade at punter compared to JK Scott over the last few seasons. We saw Bojorquez pin opponents inside the 10-yard line as well as along the sidelines, and we also saw his ability to flip the field.
Rasul Douglas
What an addition Rasul Douglas was. When the Green Bay Packers needed stability at the cornerback position, out of nowhere, Douglas provided that. He finished the season with a 52.2 percent completion rate on 67 targets with five interceptions and seven pass breakups.
Oren Burks
In Joe Barry’s defense, we did see a more effective version of Burks at times as well as someone who was moved around more. Burks was also a key special teams contributor.
Equanimeous St. Brown
St. Brown began the season on the practice squad but was eventually promoted to the active roster where, in a limited fashion, we saw some flashes from him as a receiver, and he was occasionally used on jet sweeps. St. Brown finished the season with nine receptions for 98 yards and he also emerged as a reliable gunner on special teams.
Marquez Valdes-Scantling
Unfortunately, Valdes-Scantling battled injuries for much of the season, and in his absence, the offense certainly missed his big play ability. While that will always be his bread and butter, we saw MVS’ game evolve as he was much more effective on intermediate routes, and while it was a small sample size, he was incredibly efficient from the slot.
Kevin King
As the season went on, King’s role was reduced with the emergence of Douglas and Eric Stokes, although over the last few weeks, he was used in dime situations to help cover the middle of the field. King finished the season allowing 19 receptions on 26 targets for 275 yards along with an interception and two pass breakups.
Robert Tonyan
It was a slower start to the season for Tonyan, but just as he was starting to heat up, he suffered his season-ending injury. The Green Bay Packers really missed his presence in the red zone, and they were never able to replace his production at the tight end position.
Chandon Sullivan
Once again, Sullivan was the team’s primary slot corner, and he put together a decent season. According to PFF, Sullivan finished the year fifth in snaps per reception, third in snaps per target, and 10th in yards per snap among all slot cornerbacks.
De’Vondre Campbell
Campbell was a true game-changer for the middle of this Green Bay Packers defense. He was a reliable tackler, able to limit pass-catchers, he was an effective blitzer, and stout against the run. Essentially pick a key stat among linebackers, and Campbell is very likely ranked near the top.