The Green Bay Packers will have some re-tooling to do on their defense this off-season. Going into the 2022 season, many predicted the Packers having a top-five unit in the NFL. While the unit as a whole played better in the second half of the season, their rough start to the season plagued their end-of-season rankings. Consistent safety play was an issue for the Green Bay Packers in 2022. Darnell Savage will be entering the final year of his contract and Adrian Amos is a free agent who recently visited the Baltimore Ravens. That being said, the Packers have been named in a draft day trade involving a safety.
Safety Darnell Savage Named In Draft-Day Trade To Philadelphia Eagles
Darnell Savage is a trade candidate for a couple of reasons in this year’s draft. The Packers picked up his fifth-year option, but there’s a good chance this will be his final season in Green Bay. Entering a rebuild, the Packers can think long-term and move on from their starting safety before he becomes a free agent.
Another reason is the lack of safety depth in this year’s class. The Philadelphia Eagles don’t have many needs this offseason after reaching the Super Bowl, but safety sits near the top of the list.
Philadelphia has two first-round choices, but it might be a reach to use either on a safety. Instead, the Eagles can send the 62nd pick to Green Bay for a proven starter at safety. They receive a fifth-rounder this year in exchange for a 2024 fourth.
The Eagles fix a need with a solid safety with 59 career starts, while the Packers receive a premium draft choice.
Proposed Trade:
- 2023 2nd-Round Pick (No. 62)
- 2024 4th-Round Pick
- Safety Darnell Savage
- 2023 5th-Round Pick (No. 149)
General Manager Brian Gutekunst Praised Darnell Savage
Savage had an interesting year. At one point, he was benched and many thought his time in Green Bay was over. However, he bounced back and had a great last four games of the season. Gutekunst loves his talent.
“He has so much speed on the back end but when you put him back there, he gets further away from the ball and doesn’t have the chance to make plays,” -Brian Gutekunst
Savage loves his speed but definitely wants Savage to be playing more down on the line. When he is near the ball, he can make more plays. It will be interesting to see if Joe Barry uses Savage any differently next season. 2022 may have been enough of a selling point for Darnell Savage to command a safety-needy team to trade for him. If that is the case, the Green Bay Packers could benefit greatly from a trade offer like this.
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1 Comment
Honestly, I would hate this trade.
Even if the Packers had resigned Amos, depth at Safety would still be an issue. With Amos gone, drafting a Safety (or Corner you could convert) in the first four rounds is already a must – even in a weak year for the position. Trading Savage for a very late #2 is just taking a very bad situation and making it much worse (unless you somehow think a DB at #62 fills that hole).
If you’re going to do that, you might as dump the unhappy Bakhtiari too, and tank for a top 5 pick…