Despite reaching the NFC Championship Game, the Packers’ 13-3 regular season record was somewhat misleading. The team has one of the shallowest receiving corps across the NFL and despite their defense being strong in parts throughout the season, impending free agents look set to leave holes at key positions. Here are some early free-agency targets that the Green and Gold could look to to bolster their roster and build on a strong 2019 season.
Austin Hooper, Tight End
Despite their 13-3 regular season record, the Packers’ deficiency in the receiving corp was present for all to see. Whilst Rodgers is no longer the player he was in his prime, it doesn’t help that outside of Davante Adams, his receiving options in 2019 consisted of a 33-year old Jimmy Graham and a bunch of undrafted receivers. Cutting Graham would save the Packers $8m in cap space and Hooper would provide a solid replacement.
Whilst he doesn’t offer much in terms of run-blocking, he would provide another solid receiving threat. Hooper is coming off a career-year, with 75 catches for 787 yards in 2019, and at 25 is in the prime of his career. According to PFF, Hooper has the sixth-highest receiving grade amongst all tight ends that received at least 30 targets this season – Jimmy Graham in comparison is ranked 37th.
Keeping Graham on the books would cost the Packers around $12m in 2020 and with reports that Hooper could be available for around $10m per year, it would be a move that makes sense for Green Bay.
Hunter Henry, Tight End
Whilst Henry is probably more talented than Austin Hooper, the big question for the Packers will be his injury record. There is no doubt that when Henry is on the field he is one of the best tight ends in the NFL. In his 12 games in 2019 he put up 652 yards from 55 receptions on a lacklustre Chargers offense. Since entering the league in 2016 he has averaged a Passer Rating when targeted of 132.3 and like Hooper he is in the prime of his career at only 25 years old.
This combination of talent and age is likely to see Henry demand a princely sum in free agency and the big question for the Packers will be whether or not to take the risk on a player whose career has been plagued by injury. He missed the entire 2018 regular season through injury and in his four years in the NFL has only played 41 games. Henry could be a real risk but there is the opportunity to secure one of the best tight ends in the NFL in his prime and that is not an opportunity that presents itself very often.
Corey Littleton, Inside Linebacker
With Blake Martinez seemingly moving on from Green Bay, the Packers need to add strength at linebacker. Despite some calling for Martinez to be re-signed, his lacklustre performance in pass coverage and largely average abilities in terms of run defense don’t justify the high price that he seems likely to seek.
Littleton would provide significantly better value for money at the position. One of the best coverage linebackers in the NFL, Littleton has the sideline-to-sideline speed that the Packers need and has proven adept at covering tight ends and running backs. In 2019 he posted an 82.3 PFF Pass Coverage grade, compared to Martinez’s 64.1. Despite the hype around Martinez’s high tackle numbers, it is also worth noting that Littleton missed one tackle during the entire 2019 season whereas Martinez was responsible for 15.
There are questions about the Littleton’s ability facing the run but the benefits he would offer in terms of pass defense far outweight his negatives.
Jack Conklin, Tackle
Despite the O-Line being one of the Packers’ strengths in 2019, it looks increasingly likely that Bryan Bulaga will move on and test out free agency, leaving a big hole at right tackle. PFF has Bulaga as the 8th best RT in 2019 and if he leaves they will be big shoes to fill. Green Bay could choose not to sign a new tackle and instead stick with either Alex Light or Jared Veldheer but Light was poor in his limited outings this season and at 32 Veldheer doesn’t represent a long-term solution.
Given their substantial cap room, there is the potential that the Titans will keep hold of Conklin but if he hits free agency he would a solid upgrade on Bulaga for the Packers. He ranked just ahead of Bulaga as the 7th best RT in 2019 and his strength in run blocking would help Matt LaFleur to build on the running game that was so key to the Packers’ success in 2019.
Robby Anderson, Wide Receiver
This all depends on whether the Packers look to address their most dire need through free agency or through the draft, which offers one of the deepest receiving classes in years.
To get a picture of just how thin the team are at receiver, their leading receivers in 2019 were Davante Adams (83 rec, 997yds), Allen Lazard (35 rec, 477yds), and running back Aaron Jones (49 rec, 474yds). Lazard has certainly shown promise as an undrafted free agent and Jones is a superb complimentary backfield pass catcher, the team cannot expect to go deep into the playoffs again in 2020 without adding some serious quality at the receiving position.
Anderson would be a quality No. 2 receiving option for Rodgers and despite constant quarterbacking issues in his four seasons at the Jets he has averaged over 750 yards per season. He offers serious speed and deep route running ability, something Green Bay would benefit from. Anderson was targeted 28 times on deep passes in 2019, with nine of those being catchable balls. He caught all nine and averaged 36.5 yards per catch.
The big question here will be cost. At 26 years old and a strong record in his four years in the league, Anderson will likely demand big money and with other holes on the roster to fill, the Packers may look to take one of the many talented receivers with the 30th pick in the draft.
