Welcome to the first edition of “What do I know”, where I’ll offer up (mostly) definitive takes on all things Packers. Agree? Disagree? Good, let us know why. In this first round of “What do I know?” I’ll be hitting on a few of the major developments in Green Bay over the past few week and touching on Brian Gutekunst at the end of it all. Let’s jump on in.
1. Bye, Bye, Jordy
2. Jimmy Graham, welcome to GB
The signing of Graham shouldn’t just numb the pain of Jordy leaving, it makes the team better, a lot better. The money saved on Nelson was sent directly to Graham. I’ve heard the argument from several sources that we shouldn’t have cut Jordy for Jimmy since the two are about the same age (Jordy is 32 while Jimmy is 31), but those folks are flat out wrong. It is more important, far more important, to have a dynamic tight end on the team than it is to have a capable third receiver. Graham adds a dimension to the offense that has not consistently been there since Jermichael Finley’s career was cut short by a neck injury years ago. He’s the third tight end we’ve signed in three years, but, at his best, he’s one of the best tight ends in the game. He might well be the best tight end the Packers have ever had.
3. Randall for… what?
The Damarious Randall trade kicked off the flurry of activity in Green Bay. After an up and down 2017 the team traded the former 1st round pick to Cleveland in exchange for Deshone Kizer (the teams also flipped their 4th and 5th round picks). The move signals two things. First, Hundley’s time is done in Green Bay. Even if he doesn’t get traded, he might get cut. You’ll never see Hundley take a regular season snap for the Packers again. Second, we need some secondary help and we need it BAD. Randall’s time with the Packers was marred by contentiousness but he was still one of if not thee best cornerback on the roster. Without him the team has Kevin King and… not a lot else. The team will likely draft a cornerback or sign some veterans, but they need more bodies at the position and they need them fast.
4. Bounce back for Wilkerson? Yes please
5. Kyle Fuller, so close yet so far
6. Mathieu to Houston = ?
When Tyrann Mathieu, aka the Honey Badger, was released by Arizona, fans across the league started salivating at the thought of adding him to their rosters. In the end, he signed a one year, $7 million contract with Houston, which isn’t that much. The 25 year old safety was unquestionably the best free agent safety on the market, and the deal he signed was not all that impressive. So what does it mean for the Packers? Well, after moving on from the disappointment of not signing Mathieu ourselves, we can be happy about the price of the young safety. His rate means that the safety market is slow and the rest of the bunch aren’t going to get big money deals. Currently, Morgan Burnett is a free agent and the Packers have been in talks to bring him back. He pulled in about $6 million per year over the course of his recently expired four-year deal, and he’ll likely get less than that on his next contract. Here’s hoping the Packers bring him back on a team-friendly contract.
7. We’re not done yet
As previously mentioned, the Packers still need some help. They need more quality cornerbacks, they likely need another receiver, and they need help at outside linebacker. What to do? Don’t be surprised if the first five picks of next month’s draft are spent on some combination of those three positions. It would be surprising to see the team add an impactful wide receiver or edge rusher via free agency at this point (unless they give Terrelle Pryor a call), but there are plenty of cornerbacks still available. Though the big-name free agents are gone, the likes of E.J. Gaines, Davon House, Tramon Williams, Bashaud Breeland, and others are still available. Don’t be surprised if the team signs one or two veterans and then tries to draft a capable young player.
8. First takes on Gutekunst