Green Bay Packers: Defense remains priority despite needs on offense

While the Green Bay Packers need help on offense, specifically at wide receiver, the defense should remain their priority in the 2020 offseason.

The Green Bay Packers were hit or miss in the 2019 campaign, as they were neither exceptional nor terrible in any specific category, despite their 13-3 regular-season record. However, for those who were watching closely, the inconsistency of the defense was on display often and among the main culprits for the team’s up-and-down overall performance.

During free agency last offseason, general manager Brian Gutekunst went gung-ho in acquiring marquee players on defense, all of which were a home run. Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith completely took over the Packers’ pass rush, so much so that they were the only players able to impact the passing game.

Nose tackle Kenny Clark, the only interior lineman who was able to generate anything significant, was wildly inconsistent, looking nonexistent during the middle of the season. Inside linebacker Blake Martinez grew in infamy as he was criticized for tackles made 5+ yards past the line of scrimmage and struggling in coverage due to his lack of speed and agility.

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Apart from strong safety Adrian Amos, the third top-tier player Gutekunst signed in 2019 free agency, the Packers secondary was vulnerable to deep passes as well. Second-year cornerback Jaire Alexander was not as dominant this year in comparison to his rookie season and Kevin King was hit or miss as well.

On the back end, rookie free safety Darnell Savage Jr. showed that he certainly has the potential to be a star, but was limited due to injuries. The overall depth at both safety positions was opaque and replacements in the defense as a whole could never find their rhythm.

While the wide receiver corps on the offensive side of the ball is barren, outside of Davante Adams, it is not as problematic as Green Bay’s defense. The Packers should utilize their first-round pick to address inside linebacker. They need a hybrid defender that can effectively read the holes and stop the run, while also having the mobility to lock down the center of the field in the passing game.

The wide receiver group in the 2020 draft class is deep enough to wait until the second round to focus on finding a No. 2 threat to complement Adams. However, the depth at linebacker is not remotely deep enough to wait to use a mid-round pick to address the position as Patrick Queen, Kenneth Murray and Zack Baun have a huge drop-off at the position behind them.

In the NFC Championship Game, the 49ers exploited the Packers defense by attacking The Smith Bros head-on, completely neutralizing the pass-rushers and thus limiting their effectiveness. Beyond adding personnel, Green Bay can help to avoid further embarrassment in that regard with two of the following options:

1. Reposition outside linebacker Rashan Gary to the defensive line, giving him more exposure and playing time, while being able to have a more dominant pass rush.
2. Reposition Josh Jackson to free safety, giving defensive coordinator Mike Pettine more flexibility for substitutions while also finding a role for Jackson to fill instead of riding the bench.
3. Sign a top inside linebacker in free agency, while also using a day-two pick on another linebacker for depth.
4. Draft an elite interior lineman and draft an inside linebacker with a mid-round pick.

While these may seem like obvious options, that’s the case because of the shortcomings on the Packers defense. This group was inconsistent in the regular season and bombed in the biggest moment of the playoffs and the issues must be corrected moving forward.

Free agency offers Gutekunst the opportunity to target a top receiving threat such as A.J. Green, Robby Anderson, Eric Ebron or Austin Hooper while, again, the draft is also deep at the position. Simply put, the Packers will have an abundance of opportunities to address the weapons on offense. But it won’t mean anything if they don’t improve to prevent opposing teams from scoring.