Packers will have chance to upgrade safety via free agency
The Green Bay Packers‘ safety position quickly turned into a mess.
Last year, it seemed stable and one of the team’s strengths. Adrian Amos was a solid veteran and a good communicator. He could play up near the line of scrimmage, offering run support to the front seven while also holding his own in coverage.
Darnell Savage had untapped potential and another level or two he could reach. His athleticism allowed him to line up all over the field.
Fast forward to this offseason, and both players are coming off awful seasons where they have never been worse. Furthermore, Amos is an unrestricted free agent and Savage is entering the final year of his rookie deal at $7.9 million.
If the Green Bay Packers want to upgrade safety this offseason, there will be plenty of opportunities to do so in free agency.
Green Bay has some work to do on its salary cap, but there’s a path to creating $30 million in cap space. They could add to that room by including Savage in a potential Aaron Rodgers’ deal, opening up more money to sign a free agent.
Fortunately for Green Bay, the safety position in this free agency class is pretty strong. PFF has 14 safeties rated in their top 100 free agents, including Amos.
The top safety is Jessie Bates, their fourth-ranked free agent from the Cincinnati Bengals. Bates is only 26-years-old and has his best play ahead of him. The Bengals applied the franchise tag to him last offseason, but likely won’t do so again. Bates is a very solid safety who is almost always healthy and on the field.
The other top safeties are Jordan Poyer (18th overall), Chauncey Gardner-Johnson (24th overall), Vonn Bell (45th overall), Jimmie Ward (47th overall), Taylor Rapp (60th overall), Julian Love (61st overall), Juan Thornhill (66th overall), Donovan Wilson (71st overall), Amos (78th overall), Rodney McLeod (92nd overall), Devin McCourty (94th overall), Marcus Epps (95th overall) and Duron Harmon (96th overall).
Depending on how much Green Bay wants to spend at the position, they could sign a guy for anywhere from $1.75 million per year up to $15 million per year based on PFF’s salary projection.
Next. 3 Packers who regressed on defense in 2022. dark
The Packers could also pair a veteran free agent signing with a top draft pick–something they’ve done multiple times under general manager Brian Gutekunst. The options are there depending on how Green Bay wants to attack the need this offseason.