Another quiet trade deadline for the Green Bay Packers

Another NFL trade deadline has come and gone, and the Green Bay Packers didn’t make any moves, although, for what it’s worth, Ian Rapoport did say they tried.

On Monday, Matt LaFleur told reporters that the Packers were willing to make a move, but it had to be for the right player and at the right price. They wouldn’t be making a move just to make one.

At 3-5 and with an offense that ranks 26th in points per game and 17th in total yards, all eyes were on the wide receiver position — once again — as moving the ball through the air has been particularly challenging.

Following the Washington game, Aaron Rodgers mentioned how receivers were still running the wrong routes, stems, and releases. Rodgers also regularly emphasizes how the paper playbook and the on-the-field design can be quite different, and the lack of route adjustments based on what the defense is doing has created some of the downfield issues—not to mention that drops have also been a problem.

All of this, among many other issues that the offense is experiencing, has resulted in a limited passing game that has been among the least effective in downfield throws, hence why many were hoping for Green Bay to make a wide receiver addition.

However, that wasn’t in the cards. The Chicago Bears traded a second-round pick to Pittsburgh for Chase Claypool. The Packers were reportedly interested in him, but the asking price may have kept them away or perhaps the Steelers liked the Bears offer better. Doug Farrar of Touchdown Wire also doesn’t believe Claypool was the best fit for the Packers.

Bill Huber of Sports Illustrated would report that Denver had no interest in trading Jerry Jeudy while Brandin Cooks’ $18 million in guaranteed money next season was a huge deterrent for the cap-strapped Packers.

Other receivers who were brought up in trade talks — although perhaps not with the Packers — stayed put. This group included Marquez Callaway, Elijah Moore, Denzel Mims, Kenny Golladay, Kendrick Bourne, and KJ Hamler.

Trust is big between Aaron Rodgers and his receivers, but at 3-5, that needs to go out the window to a degree. This offense needs big play ability if they hope to turn things around, and all three rookie receivers bring that element to the Packers. To put it simply, they need more targets, even if that means going through additional growing pains.

If you’re looking for a silver lining, we saw Romeo Doubs and Samori Toure both have impressive performances against Buffalo that, hopefully, they and Rodgers can build off of.

If the Packers are going to improve, it’s going to have to come internally, and while many wanted a wide receiver addition, this team is more than one player away from being a true contender.