Author: samholman

For quite a while, the Packers defensive line has consisted of Kenny Clark and little else. After Mike Daniels was cut following the 2018 season, Green Bay made do with Clark, Dean Lowry and an assortment of draft picks and undrafted free agents. Players like Montravius Adams, Kingsley Keke, and Tyler Lancaster have come and gone. Some flashed at times, but consistent contributors never fully appeared. Under Mike Pettine – and, last year, Joe Barry – the Packers run defense regularly failed to hold up. Every offseason, fans highlighted the defensive front as an area of the roster that needed…

Over the last few weeks, the beginning of the Packers offseason programs – normally an exciting time for fans – has been marred by worry. Star LT David Bakhtiari is still absent from practice. Apparently, he continues to deal with his recovery from the ACL tear he sustained in December 2020. Naturally, this delay is concerning to many. After the injury left him unable to play in 2021, fans hoped that he would be back for 2022. Matters haven’t been helped by Matt LaFleur’s messaging in recent press conferences. In his most recent update, LaFleur commented “He’s been working really…

In 2021, Rashan Gary was one of the NFL’s top edge rushers, recording one of the highest pressure rates in the league. According to PFF’s statistics, he produced 10 sacks, 15 QB hits, and 2 forced fumbles in the regular season. Down-to-down, he was arguably the most effective pass-rusher on the Green Bay defense. In Weeks 1-18, Gary put together an elite 89.3 PFF score, including a 88.9 pass-rush grade. He performed at a similarly high level in Green Bay’s Divisional Round matchup against the 49ers, recording 2 sacks and getting an impressive TFL on a critical fourth down late…

The 2022 Green Bay Packers are entering a new era of offense. Over the offseason, OC Nathaniel Hackett departed for a job as head coach of the Denver Broncos. QB coach Luke Getsy has taken a new role as offensive coordinator for the Chicago Bears. Davante Adams, once the linchpin of Matt LaFleur’s system, is gone. Aaron Rodgers targeted Adams at least 125 times in each of the last three seasons. No other receiver surpassed 70 targets in that period. Exacerbating the loss, yet another major target departed in free agency. Marquez Valdes-Scantling recorded 56, 63, and 55 targets in…

Earlier this week, Packers fans rejoiced after news came out that the team had re-signed star cornerback Jaire Alexander to a massive four-year extension. The payday is well-deserved. Although he missed much of the 2021 season with a shoulder injury, Alexander was one of the best CBs in the NFL in 2020. Alexander has the athleticism, technique, intelligence, and swagger to match up against the league’s best receivers. He can play both inside and outside, giving DC Joe Barry an invaluable chess piece in the secondary. Moreover, Alexander’s signing solidifies a unit that can meet the demands of the modern…

The Packers picked a wide receiver! Despite some predictions of a Day 1 selection at WR, Green Bay chose to select Quay Walker and Devont’e Wyatt in the first round of the NFL Draft. Recognizing that Green Bay still had a need at receiver, Brian Gutekunst made the decision to move up for his man in Day 2. The Packers traded both their second round picks (no. 53 and 59) for the Vikings’ second-rounder (no. 34). Using the new draft slot, Green Bay selected NDSU WR Christian Watson. Watson is not the first member of his family to play for the…

The Green Bay Packers will be looking to fill multiple holes in the 2022 NFL Draft. Wide receiver is an obvious need, but others exist as well. One deficiency the Packers may want to address is in their outside linebacker room. With Za’Darius Smith gone and Whitney Mercilus retired, Green Bay has little depth behind Preston Smith and Rashan Gary. With this in mind, it seems reasonable to expect that the Packers will bolster their defense with an edge rusher early on in the draft. One such player could be Penn State’s Arnold Ebiketie. Arnold Ebiketie Bio & Stats Ebiketie…

As the 2022 NFL Draft draws near, news continues coming out about what prospects each team is supposedly targeting. In reality, little can be known at this point in the process. Outside observers have few ways to determine whether a team’s interest in a player is real or merely a smokescreen. However, one indicator of interest in a player could be a team’s decisions about who to bring in for a pre-draft visit. Physical NFL draft visits are limited to 30 players per team. Thus, it seems likely that a team would only use a visit on someone they have…

Recently, news came out that the Packers would be signing free agent DT Jarran Reed. With the Packers looking to stay in Super Bowl contention, adding a veteran defensive player like Reed makes sense. Green Bay’s depth chart along the DL was precipitously thin before the Reed addition. The departure of players like Tyler Lancaster and Kingsley Keke weakened an already lackluster position group. Before Reed’s signing, the only defensive linemen listed on the roster were Kenny Clark, Jack Heflin, Dean Lowry, and TJ Slaton. Reed is a free agent I’ve had my eye on for several weeks. He has…

As many fans would attest, the Green Bay Packers could use an infusion of talent along the defensive line. Kenny Clark is a stud, and Dean Lowry had a breakout year in 2021. However, there is little quality depth behind those two. Drafting a defensive lineman is certainly a possibility, but rookies often don’t contribute immediately. However, there is an alternative. With the shocking trade of Davante Adams, Green Bay has cleared up a fair amount of cap space. They may decide to use this money to pursue a free agent defensive lineman or two. One such lineman is Morgan…