The Packers finished below .500 for a second straight year. This offseason, Brian Gutekunst needs to reshape the roster and it beings in free agency
When Gutekunst became the general manager of the Green Bay Packers last January, he vowed to be aggressive and involved in all possibilities in terms of improving the roster.
In his first year, he added veteran tight end Jimmy Graham and took a chance on Muhammad Wilkerson. As the season progressed, he added Bashaud Breeland and got rid of players like Ty Montomgery and Ha Ha Clinton-Dix.
Bottom line, Gutekunst has lived up to his promise, but more has to be done. The Packers finished below .500 in consecutive seasons for the first time since 1990-91. They missed the postseason in consecutive season for the first time since 2005-06.
The Packers lack of recent success resulted in the firing of Mike McCarthy after their embarrassing Week 13 loss against the Arizona Cardinals. Another move under the Gutekunst regime that exemplified change and a must win mentality.
Green Bay named Matt LaFleur the head coach of the team shortly after the new year. LaFleur comes to town with no head coaching experience, but has worked with quarterbacks like; Jared Goff, Matt Ryan and most recently Marcus Mariota.
No matter who the Packers hired, the roster needs to improve if the Packers want to be Super Bowl contenders. The quest to make that happen begins on March 13th and here are some players that would immediately make the Packers better before the NFL Draft.
5. Rodger Saffold, Los Angeles Rams
If the Green Bay Packers want to have a successful 2019/20 season, Aaron Rodgers needs to play at a higher level. In order for him to do that, he needs to be protected and healthy.
Rodgers played in all 16 games last year, but was battling through injuries all season. Green Bay’s offensive line allowed 53 sacks, third most in the league. On average, teams brought Rodgers to the ground at least three times per game.
One part of the line that struggled immensely was the guard position. Lane Taylor took a step backward and battled through injury. Meanwhile; Justin McCary, Lucas Patrick and Bryon Bell all occupied the right guard position at some point in the season.
A veteran option the Packers could consider is Rodger Saffold. The nine-year pro has spent his entire career with the Rams. Despite being 31 years old at the start of next season, Saffold has played in at least 15 games in three consecutive seasons.
According to Pro Football Focus, he received a 72.8 grade in 2018, ranked ninth among the position. Saffold also earned the third-best run-blocking grade among all guards last season.
Saffold expressed his desire to be back in Los Angeles next season, but there will be a long list of teams looking to add him. His age will likely drive his price tag a bit, but based on his previous contract Saffold could be still be looking at a range of $7-9 million per year.