5 Biggest Positions of Need for Green Bay Packers Prior to Free Agency

Green Bay Packers Position of Need: Edge Rusher

There is certainly some foreshadowing that is going into this one because, at the moment, the Green Bay Packers have Rashan Gary, Preston Smith, and Za’Darius Smith all under contract for the 2022 season. However, as we all know, that could change very quickly.

At this point, it certainly seems like a given that Za’Darius Smith will be cut, which will provide Green Bay with $15.2 million in much-needed cap savings. Meanwhile, Preston Smith’s future is not as clear — he could be cut, receive an extension, or have his contract restructured — but either way, something has to be done to his deal as he comes with a $19.7 million cap hit in 2022.

If both Smiths are cut, then without question, edge rusher is the biggest priority this offseason. While Rashan Gary did record the third-most pressures among edge rushers last season, this is a heavily rotated position, and he’s going to need more reliable help behind him than what is currently on the roster.

With that said, even if P. Smith is still in Green Bay — which is what I believe will happen — I would still invest an early-round pick into edge rusher–even as good as Gary and P. Smith were in 2021, the depth of this unit was a concern all season long.

There was a very noticeable dropoff in play when Gary and Smith weren’t on the field last season. Andy Herman of Packer Report, who grades every player over the course of the Packers season, had Jonathan Garvin as his lowest graded defender and Tipa Galeai as his fifth-lowest graded defender through Week 17.

If the Packers enter 2022 with Gary and P. Smith as their primary edge rushers, they will be in very good shape, but this is such an important position that Green Bay should still be investing heavily in it.