3 Offseason Mistakes Already Costing the Packers

2. Not Bringing in Better Veteran Linebacker Help

We all know how much Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst and head coach Matt LaFleur prefer to roll with young guys as much as possible. Or at least, they prefer the home-grown talent to bringing in guys from the outside in a majority of instances.

That might come back to bite them at the linebacker position where they have relied upon former first-round pick Quay Walker and a couple of veteran special teams guys in Isaiah McDuffie and Eric Wilson so far this season. McDuffie and Wilson have made some plays, but McDuffie was frankly a big reason why the Packers struggled against the Philadelphia Eagles in Week 1.

If the Packers struggle at the off-ball linebacker position as the season progresses, it won't be for lack of NFL Draft investment. They spent a 1st-round pick on Quay Walker (who has struggled some in the first two weeks as well), a 2nd-round pick on Edgerrin Cooper, and a 3rd-round pick on Ty'Ron Hopper.

There's talent available to the Packers, but if those young guys aren't all ready to play significant snaps at the NFL level, then why didn't this team do more to upgrade this position group in the offseason?

The cost of linebackers in free agency is not prohibitive these days, and teams are letting a lot of good players at this position go because they are choosing to pay other position groups. The Packers could have done more to upgrade this spot and if it remains a weakness as the season goes along, they will regret not doing exactly that.