2019 NFL Free Agency/A Busy Day for Green Bay

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

I don't see a free agency thread, so lets get one going.

 

It appears that Landon Collins is going to hit the market:

 

It wouldn't surprise me if the Packers are all over him. Safety is an enormous weak link on the team right now.

[Point Beer Is Best]

Safety and Edge are the two most glaring holes. Would be nice to address those in Free Agency to take some of the pressure off the "Edge or bust at #12" mentality. Unfortunately most of the Edge players were tagged. Justin Houston seems like he may be a good target, as he was more of a cap casualty than a performance casualty.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

It doesn't appear that the Patriots are going to tag Trey Flowers. Only 25 years old and tons of potential. He is going to get big bucks from someone ... and it wouldn't surprise me if it was the Packers.

[LouisEly]

The draft is loaded with edge rushers (Allen, Sweat, Burns, Polite, Ferrell in the first round, then in the 2nd/3rd you have D'Andre Walker, Ximines, Winovich, Ferguson, etc.), but there is very little in the draft at safety. For me, Earl Thomas and Collins are at the top of my wish list. I'd bet that one of Sweat/Burns is there at #12, and Polite and Ferrell could be had with a trade down (or trade up from #30).

 

Polite's lackluster combine plus the character concerns could easily push him down to #30. In addition to his pass rushing skills he led the nation in forced fumbles. He could be a steal at #30.

[CheezWizHed]

A month or two ago, I read a lot about signing Anthony Barr as an OLB. He wouldn't be terribly expensive compared to other OLBs and a decent chance to be a breakout candidate.

 

But I'd see them signing one OLB and drafting another. Could do the same at Safety.

[FVBrewerFan]

Isnt Amos a FA also? I think they need (and will) go hard for one of those 3 safeties. Glaring need, and a position thats hard to get instant high level play and consistency via draft.

 

Then I want two more players that are clear upgrades. Any position is fine with me, they could use improvement at most positions. O line, pass rusher, CB.

 

Will be fun, first year since Ron Wolfs early years they are all-in on FA.

[Point Beer Is Best]

A month or two ago, I read a lot about signing Anthony Barr as an OLB. He wouldn't be terribly expensive compared to other OLBs and a decent chance to be a breakout candidate.

 

But I'd see them signing one OLB and drafting another. Could do the same at Safety.

 

Andy Herman at CheeseheadTV did some excellent film review of Barr. Andy is a must-follow on Twitter (@sconniesports).

 

Is it possible that a team will target Barr as an Edge? Sure, and he will likely be more affordable than the top-tier guys. But as Andy pointed out, his career sack numbers leave something to be desired:

 

In five years, he has 13.5 career sacks which came on 14 plays:

* 10 of those sacks he was unblocked or untouched

* 2 sacks came by beating a RB one-on-one

* 1 sack came when Philip Rivers held the ball to long and walked right back into Barr, who was blocked

* 1 sack came after the guard stumbled out of his stance so Barr had a straight shot at the QB

 

That's... not impressive. Basically, he has NEVER beaten an offensive lineman straight-up for a sack. I don't know how often he was asked to blitz as an OLB in a 4-3, however.

 

Andy's full breakdown is here: https://cheeseheadtv.com/blog/film-review-prospective-free-agent-anthony-barr-507

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

Eric Weddle was released by the Ravens yesterday. He's 34 years old, but was still a top-notch safety last year. He'd be a substantially cheaper option than Landon Collins or Earl Thomas, but may only be a 1 or 2-year band-aid. He'd be a great mentor for a guy like Josh Jones, though.

[Point Beer Is Best]

Isnt Amos a FA also? I think they need (and will) go hard for one of those 3 safeties. Glaring need, and a position thats hard to get instant high level play and consistency via draft.

 

Then I want two more players that are clear upgrades. Any position is fine with me, they could use improvement at most positions. O line, pass rusher, CB.

 

Will be fun, first year since Ron Wolfs early years they are all-in on FA.

 

Eric Weddle was cut yesterday as well, but I would prefer they sign someone younger. But Weddle would complement a younger safety (whether it be Collins or a draft pick) well. The need two starting safeties, not just one.

[homer]

Let the insanity commence...

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

No inside knowledge, but I get the feeling that the Packers are about to throw a lot of money at Landon Collins, who I am a fan of. I think they'll attempt to sign Za'Darius Smith too ... who I'm not a huge fan of.

[brwrsfan]

Been some interesting names released recently. Justin Houston could be interesting. I'd love to get Collins or Thomas. There's so many safeties available that I'll be highly disappointed if we don't get one. Seems like a very easy fix and takes away one glaring need as draft time approaches. I'd also like to see them double up on edge rushers - at least one in FA and one in the draft (I like Burns).

[FVBrewerFan]

I read somewhere Keuchel has narrowed it down to the Packers, Astros, Padres, or Cowboys. Although he may wait until the end of the year and just sign a max deal with the Lakers.

[homer]

Packers could end up with two safeties if they wanted. Guys are getting released have $5, 6, 7 million salaries.

[brwrsfan]

Packers could end up with two safeties if they wanted. Guys are getting released have $5, 6, 7 million salaries.

 

I'd be all for this, though I'd be surprised if they went this route. Our safeties simply weren't good last year. Maybe it's just me having wishful thinking but I feel like they're going to get Collins for some reason.

[PeaveyFury]

TJ Lang out in Detroit, which surprised me. I wonder if the Packers would kick the tires to help on the o-line.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

TJ Lang out in Detroit, which surprised me. I wonder if the Packers would kick the tires to help on the o-line.

 

If he is truly over his concussion issues, maybe. He isn't especially old.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

No inside knowledge, but I get the feeling that the Packers are about to throw a lot of money at Landon Collins, who I am a fan of. I think they'll attempt to sign Za'Darius Smith too ... who I'm not a huge fan of.

 

NM on Collins. 6 years/$84 million to the Redskins. I'm sure that deal will age well.

[FVBrewerFan]

No inside knowledge, but I get the feeling that the Packers are about to throw a lot of money at Landon Collins, who I am a fan of. I think they'll attempt to sign Za'Darius Smith too ... who I'm not a huge fan of.

 

NM on Collins. 6 years/$84 million to the Redskins. I'm sure that deal will age well.

 

Doesn't mean which, need to know the SB and how it's structured. Likely, the last two years won't mean much. It's all about the SB in these deals, and how much of a cap hit the overall deal is each year in the first 3-4 years.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

No inside knowledge, but I get the feeling that the Packers are about to throw a lot of money at Landon Collins, who I am a fan of. I think they'll attempt to sign Za'Darius Smith too ... who I'm not a huge fan of.

 

NM on Collins. 6 years/$84 million to the Redskins. I'm sure that deal will age well.

 

Doesn't mean which, need to know the SB and how it's structured. Likely, the last two years won't mean much. It's all about the SB in these deals, and how much of a cap hit the overall deal is each year in the first 3-4 years.

 

Yeah, that will be interesting to find out. I'm guessing with it being announced this early that the Skins made him a Godfather offer that he couldn't turn down, which likely means a big guarantee.

[LouisEly]

NM on Collins. 6 years/$84 million to the Redskins. I'm sure that deal will age well.

Stealing from a division rival always has extra value - you get stronger, they get weaker, and the player can lend you some insights as to their scheme/tendencies (especially if he has a grudge).

 

I was leaning towards Weddle -I think he'll be a better value on a 2-year deal. Earl Thomas still out there too.

 

TJ Lang out in Detroit, which surprised me. I wonder if the Packers would kick the tires to help on the o-line.

Complete regime change here - coach, most of coaching staff, and GM gone, so any lingering hard feelings should be minimized. He wasn't worth the $8M in cash salary he was due, so not surprised. Frees up ~$5.3M in cap space for them. Lots of good guards available in free agency, no need to spend a high draft pick on one.

 

I think the best deals in free agency are the guys who are in their early/mid 30's and can be had for reasonable 1-2 year deals. Build your core through the draft, fill the holes through free agency. Spending big in free agency usually doesn't work well (Reggie White a very notable exception).

[KeithStone53151]

This thread should be Packer non-moves...not Packer moves.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

This thread should be Packer non-moves...not Packer moves.

 

They'll make moves. Too many holes, and too much money available not to. It's a matter of who and when, not if.

[Outlander]

I really hope the rumors of the Packers keeping Graham are not true and they dump him, just not worth the guaranteed money they have to give him and think he is a liability as a WR or TE. Money can be better spent actually getting a good tight end or WR.

[Ron Robinsons Beard]

I really hope the rumors of the Packers keeping Graham are not true and they dump him, just not worth the guaranteed money they have to give him and think he is a liability as a WR or TE. Money can be better spent actually getting a good tight end or WR.

 

The free agent TE class is pretty barren this year, and I'm not sure its a great idea to turn the position over to an unproven rookie. I'm not a huge Graham fan, but I think he was somewhat misused in McCarthy's offense last year, and I'm interested in seeing if LaFleur's TE-happy offense might be able to make him more productive. Despite his declining athleticism, he is still a matchup problem for most LBs and safeties, and he's a very smart player. I would be ok with going into the season with him as the starter, along with a higher draft pick that can apprentice for a year with an eye on taking over the head job in 2020. Tonyan is also an interesting prospect to keep around.