Green Bay Packers the favorites to land J.J. Watt?

The Green Bay Packers appeared to be a natural fit for J.J. Watt and the reigning NFC North champions might be emerging as the favorites to sign him.

Hitting the free agency market is new to J.J. Watt but his release from the Houston Texans last week has sent the NFL world into a frenzy. It’s an early start for teams trying to add a game-changing player on defense, which the three-time Defensive Player of the Year certainly qualifies as. And the latest team to be connected to the 31-year-old is the Green Bay Packers.

As the “wild” free agency swing for Watt continues, the Packers were mentioned initially as one of the possible suitors for the defensive lineman. However, rumors about the Cleveland Browns and his brotherly connection with the Pittsburgh Steelers seemed to be gaining the most traction. Then came a report on Wednesday from ESPN’s Dan Graziano.

Appearing on Sportscenter, Graziano stated that the Steelers and Packers were the two leaders in the race to sign J.J. Watt but noted that Green Bay has “the edge” due to having a better salary cap situation that would allow them to sign the future Hall-of-Famer (h/t 247 Sports).

Watt clearly wants to join a contender and have a chance to win a Super Bowl. After two-straight NFC Championship Game appearances, the Packers are clearly on the right path. And adding Watt could be a huge boom for them in taking the next step.

J.J. Watt would make a ton of sense on the Green Bay Packers.

Offense was clearly not the issue for Green Bay this past season. Aaron Rodgers put forth an MVP-winning season despite only having one reliable wide receiver in Davante Adams and the offense was among the best in the league. The defense, however, was a bit of a mixed bag.

While Za’Darius Smith, Preston Smith and Kenny Clark comprised a formidable pass rush, the run defense and the coverage units were lackluster at times, Jaire Alexander aside. Upgrading the secondary and linebacker group are priorities. But beefing up the defensive line around Clark is a sneaky need for the Packers as well.

Dean Lowry is a potential cut candidate this offseason as he hasn’t lived up the extension he recently signed. Meanwhile, the rest of the line is comprised of replacement-level players, with the possible exception of Kingsley Keke as he continues to develop. Watt would immediately change that.

The prowess and versatility of Watt remain an outright weapon for whatever team he’s a part of. He might not be the best defensive player in the league anymore but he’s still among the best at the position. And if he wants to return to his Wisconsin roots, the Packers should be more than interested in making that a reality.