The Green Bay Packers strong-suit isn’t their defense, so re-signing stud pass rusher Nick Perry should be right at the top of their offseason to-do list.
Nick Perry was unexciting in his first few seasons with the Green Bay Packers. In his first four seasons, Perry totaled 12.5 sacks, 100 tackles, and four pass deflections. However, when Year 5 rolled around, Perry put it all together. In just 14 games, the 26-year-old collected 52 tackles, 11 sacks, four pass deflections, and one interception. All of those were career-highs.
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Even when he wasn’t getting sacks, Perry was helping his teammates get some of their own, wreaking havoc in his matchup and opening up the field for the Green Bay defense:
Nick Perry played fantastic to start this game.. Strong edges, fighting off blocks & how bout the heavy handed rush! pic.twitter.com/4vKLa6UIWs
— Ben Fennell (@BenFennell_NFL) September 12, 2016
That’s what we like to call bullying your opponent.
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While Perry was posting career numbers, the rest of the Green Bay defense was struggling. Despite decent numbers, such as their 40 sacks (sixth in the NFL), the defense often times looked completely lost. Besides, those 40 sacks were bloated thanks to the heavy numbers put up by Perry and Julius Peppers (7.5 sacks).
Peppers was the other main sack threats on the team, despite his age. However, the 37-year-old might not have much left in the tank. This might not matter, as his contract is up as well.
Choosing between the two (Perry and Peppers) should really be a no-brainer. Obviously, in an ideal scenario, the Packers would have both back on the field for 2017, but that seems unlikely. With the Packers offense at the elite level (eighth in yards and fourth in points scored) it’s up to the defense to make the difference.
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The problems in the secondary can’t be overlooked either. The cornerback group is extremely young, and with inexperience comes growing pains. The Packers could have a special core if they let them grow together, but they’ll need a good front seven in front of them to mask some of the mistakes. That’s where Perry comes in. Keeping players like Perry around isn’t just the smart move, it’s the only move at this point.