Three Packers are on the best-available list, with one month to go before NFL free agency
Green Bay, Wisconsin: The Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst won’t have to steal from Peter in order to pay Paul because NFL free agency is scheduled to start in precisely one month.
This is due to the possibility that he does not feel the need to resign every single free agent. The 33rd Team’s Dan Pizzuta released a list of 157 unsigned players, organized into 12 position groups.
There were only three Packers selected. Among guards, Jon Runyan ranks seventh. Of all the Green Bay free agents, he will most likely be the most sought-after.
Runyan will be a starter for a team in 2024 after making 50 straight starts and demonstrating proficiency in pass protection (he ranked seventh in PFF’s pass-blocking efficiency in 2023) and other areas.
It just won’t be the Packers, who gave 2022 third-round pick Sean Rhyan plenty of playing time to prepare for the upcoming campaign.
AJ Dillon is the running back ranked No. 12. The Packers needed Dillon to step up because Aaron Jones was inconsistent throughout the majority of the season.
No, he didn’t. Dillon saw an increase in yardage from 803 yards and a 4.3-yard average in 2021 to 770 yards and a 4.1 average in 2022 to 613 yards and a 3.4 average in 2023 while receiving comparable amounts of carries.
Considering his size and strength, he breaks remarkably few tackles. Among cornerbacks, Keisean Nixon is ranked No. 12. Serving as the starting slot defender for all 17 games, Nixon was the only reliable player in the secondary. 32 defensive backs played at least 200 coverage snaps in the slot, according to Pro Football Focus.
Nixon ranked 16th in that group with a passer rating of 98.7, 22nd with a yards per snap of 1.25, and 31st with 535 yards.
He is the two-time All-Pro returner on special teams, but the NFL’s ban on kickoff returns lessens his significance. That’s all there is to it.
The 12 players on the Packers’ roster who are scheduled to become unrestricted free agents don’t all have the kind of disruptive talent that will command high prices when the free-agent market opens on March 11 and the signing period starts on March 13.
Josiah Deguara and Tyler Davis, tight ends; Yosh Nijman, offensive tackle; Eric Wilson and Kristian Welch, inside linebackers; Corey Ballentine, cornerback; and Darnell Savage, Rudy Ford, and Jonathan Owens, safeties, make up the remaining nine players.
It will be interesting to see what the Packers do at safety, a crucial position for newly appointed defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley.
They will require at least some kind of veteran presence, as their only contracted players through 2024 are Anthony Johnson and Benny Sapp.
Will they give Savage another chance, hoping that Hafley’s plan will maximize his abilities? Will they sign Owens again? He was a valuable member of the team.
Or will Ford, who has five interceptions over the last two seasons and is tied for 13th place among safeties, be re-signed? Or are they going to embrace autonomy? While Antoine Winfield Jr., the star of the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, will cost too much, Xavier McKinney of the Giants, who just finished a season with 116 tackles and three interceptions, is an intriguing schematic fit; Geno Stone of the Ravens, who was second in the NFL with seven interceptions; and the Patriots’ Jordan Fuller of the Rams had three interceptions and three forced fumbles, while Kyle Dugger had 106 tackles this season and nine interceptions over the previous three seasons.
Even though Gutekunst recently stated that he will be able to add players to the roster, the salary cap will be a problem. On February 1, he stated, “I think we’re getting to a little bit better spot than we have been in the past.” “It’s never perfect, but I think we can take advantage of any opportunities to strengthen our team through free agency.”
