One thing was immediately clear after this year’s NFC Championship Game. The Packers need another solid corner outside of Jaire Alexander. Time and time again, Kevin King was out played and made several crucial mistakes in big moments.
Whether it was getting burnt by Scotty Miller at the end of the half or mistiming his jump on a touchdown to Mike Evans. Holding Tyler Johnson on a do or die third down to give Tampa Bay the win or missing tackles. Kevin King was a major liability for the Packers’ defense throughout the game. It was obvious to everyone that Kevin is not the corner we all hoped he’d be. Luckily enough, some big time help might be on the way according to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler.
The Corner Green Bay Needs
Talking with several sources around the league, Jeremy identified the “ideal landing spot” for the top 50 free agents for this offseason. Among these 50 players, only one player had Green Bay pegged as the most ideal team. That player selected was Desmond King II.
Selected in the fifth round by the Chargers in 2017, King quickly turned into a great contributor. He was named to the All-Pro team in 2019 as both a defensive back and punt returner. The Tennessee Titans traded for him last season and he continued producing at a high level for them as they made a playoff run. Could Green Bay land the 26 year old this offseason?
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The Defensive Fit
Per Jeremy Fowler, he sees the Packers targeting Desmond King as a slot corner to protect the middle of the field well. A pairing of Jaire on the outside and Desmond in the middle would be lethal. Obviously, the Packers would like to also find a replacement for Kevin King on the outside. They would likely address that in the draft, giving Green Bay another young corner to groom.
Having a great slot corner takes away much of the middle of the field for easy yardage. Meanwhile, Jaire can lock down whatever side he’s lined up. If new defensive coordinator Joe Barry so chooses, he could have Jaire match up against the opponent’s top outside receiver straight up. This would be contrary to having him stay on one side of the field like Mike Pettine often did. This would be instrumental in helping a potential young outside corner get acclimated to the NFL if that’s the route they go.
Will Green Bay Pull the Trigger?
While the Packers’ cap limitations are well documented, we can fully expect several more cap clearing moves to be made in the coming weeks. Who they’ll be able to resign and who they’ll be able to afford on the free agent market will greatly be determined by this. With Rodgers coming off arguably his best season, I believe they will put as many chips into the pot this year as they can.
Let’s cross our fingers and hope they can manage to add a few missing pieces. If they’re clever with their cap they will have some space to work with. Being so close to the Super Bowl yet again, Desmond King could get them over the hump.
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