NFL record predictions for the 2018 regular season
By Ian Cummings
Green Bay Packers
In a broad sense, the Green Bay Packers are, and have been, much like the Seattle Seahawks for the last few years. Possessing a roster that has been perennially devoid of talent, the Packers have almost always found a way to stay in the postseason because of one player: Aaron Rodgers.
The Packers lost that player in 2017, and the impact of his loss was incredibly great. And while it pushed the Packers out of playoff contention in 2017, it also served a positive purpose, exposing the weak roster that Ted Thompson had maintained over the years.
Thompson was understandably let go after the season,a nd replaced by Brian Gutenkunst, who went the aggressive route in free agency for once, signing players like veteran tight end Jimmy Graham and stout defensive lineman Muhammad Wilkerson.
In the NFL Draft, the Packers only kept rolling. They addressed the No. 1 need on their roster, cornerback, by acquiring two first-round talents in Jaire Alexander and Josh Jackson. They also stocked up on wide receivers and defensive players on the front seven, hitting specific areas that have plagued the team over the years.
Gutenkunst’s blueprint was the one that the Packers needed, and in time, his philosophy will work, and build the Packers back up. But their roster was beyond one-year repair, and that is clear now with the holes that still remain on both offense and defense. Their interior offensive line leave much to be desired, and their running game, with Aaron Jones, won’t benefit from that trench situation.
On defense, the Packers failed to add the edge rushing talent needed to support an aging Clay Matthews and Nick Perry, and at inside linebacker, they still lack proven playmakers. There’s a chance it all comes together in Year 1. But in a very strong NFC North, I’m willing to bet that it will take more than one year for the new pieces to mesh. Aaron Rodgers will keep this Packers’ team on the doorstep. But that’s as far as they’re getting in 2018.