Still Opportunity for Packers to Add Impact Players this Offseason

The NFL Draft was completed several weeks ago, and free agency has been going on for over two months now. With OTAs beginning and training camp not too far off, it certainly feels like this Green Bay Packers roster is pretty well set, at least when it comes to who is going to contribute in a significant way this season–and that very well may be the case.

However, just because we are nearing the month of June and offseason programs are ramping up doesn’t mean the Packers still can’t find key contributors. In fact, last summer is a prime example of just that.

After June 1st, the Green Bay Packers would sign De’Vondre Campbell and Dennis Kelly while also trading for Corey Bojorquez just before the season began.

Campbell would, of course, go on to have an All-Pro season, and he signed a five-year contract worth $50 million just a few months ago. Kelly would end up starting the final four regular season games when Billy Turner was sidelined, and because of his play during that stretch, he got the start at right tackle in the playoffs. Lastly, Bojorquez was Green Bay’s punter, averaging nearly 47 yards per kick.

If we take this one step further and look at in-season additions, the Packers would pluck Rasul Douglas off the Arizona practice squad and also sign Whitney Mercilus when he was released by Houston. Douglas would end the season with a completion rate of 51% along with five interceptions and seven pass breakups. Meanwhile, prior to his injury, Mercilus ranked 32nd out of 105 edge rushers in PFF’s pass rush productivity metric from weeks seven through nine.

Now, having said all of that, finding an impact player or a steady contributor doesn’t have to mean breaking the bank either. Each of these players were on one-year deals with Campbell earning $2 million, Kelly was making $1.3 million, and Bojorquez earning $1.02 million. Douglas’ contract was for $990,000 while Mercilus made $1.075 million.

Although Over the Cap has the Green Bay Packers with just over $17 million in available cap space, as I write about in greater detail here, other unaccounted for expenses greatly reduce their spending power. And when I say greatly reduce, I mean they could add another veteran minimum player or two, or something in that range.

A few positions that the Packers could still look to address include bolstering their secondary depth at both cornerback and safety positions. Right now, there is a lot of inexperience on the depth chart behind their starters. Edge rusher is another need as there was a lack of impact plays in 2021 when Rashan Gary and Preston Smith weren’t on the field.

And, of course, I know receiver is on the minds of many. Now, not to say that Green Bay won’t add to this position, but it is already a crowded room, so whoever is added would need to be a significant upgrade over what they currently have–and there are very few of those players out there.

It’s possible that Julio Jones is going to be too expensive while Odell Beckham is still working his way back from his second ACL injury in less than two years.

At the moment, the Green Bay Packers still have an open roster spot after releasing JJ Molson and there is always the possibility that whoever they sign to round out their 90-man won’t even be on the team come September. But as we saw just one year ago, while we may be late in the offseason, that doesn’t mean contributors can’t be found and they don’t have to come with big contracts either.