NFC North Roundtable: Free Agency Approach by Lions, Bears & Packers

[Viktor]

Wes, I feel bad that we're talking about all of these free agency moves, but the Packers have mostly stood pat this month. Despite not making any big moves, what could be next for Green Bay?


WH: It will be interesting to see how they can balance the cap situation. They've had to do a lot of restructuring and haven't extended anybody yet, but with Davante Adams, I'd expect that's probably the next big move for them. He's entering the last year of his contract, and you can probably actually lower his cap number for this season if you work something out. I think that's the big move there.


But also figuring out the pieces they have in free agents that could potentially come back. There's [tight end] Marcedes Lewis, obviously the report is out there now that [cornerback] Kevin King is going to be back in the fold. But they have 10 draft picks, and unlike the Ted Thompson era, when they didn't have any compensatory picks, they let a couple guys walk last year and are getting the benefit of that this season.


There are some big players that were lost; we talked about Jamaal Williams, a guy that didn't fumble in his four seasons in Green Bay. They lost their All-Pro center in Corey Linsley, who signed with the Chargers. They're going to need guys to step up, but I really do think the draft, and being able to extend the guys on the roster, that's going to be the way for them. Even though it was a demoralizing end to the season with that loss here at home to Tampa Bay, they look at what happened in the Super Bowl and where they are positioned and that jump they made in the second year under Matt LaFleur, they feel good that they are not that far away from being the team that can bring that next Lombardi Trophy back to Green Bay.


And finally, let's look ahead to the draft, which is a little over a month away. Every team in the division has a first-round pick, beginning with the Lions at No. 7. The Bears have the 20*th* pick, and the Packers are at No. 29. We'll go with some quick answers on this one. Give me a position to watch for your team as we head toward the 2021 NFL Draft.


TP: A top-10 pick is always fun, and you really can't take any position off the table. I don't think quarterback is out of the conversation, although you do have Jared Goff, so they are not in a rush to take a quarterback. If it's me, I think I'm going defense in that first round, whether it's a playmaking linebacker or a defensive lineman.


LM: If you look at every mock draft, they have us either taking a quarterback or an offensive tackle. I think that says a lot, but it's going to be difficult because a lot of these pundits are saying that the top five quarterbacks — the ones worthy of first-round picks — are all going to be gone by pick 12 or so. They're expecting the Bears to have to trade up in the first round, so we'll have to see what happens there. But it will be real interesting to see because it feels like a really heavy offensive draft this year. It's going to be exciting.


WH: I think offensive line is what makes the most sense for them right now. Not only because they lost Linsley, but also David Bakhtiari tearing his ACL, the four-time All-Pro left tackle. They lost him and did a pretty good job of being able to fill that spot. But with not having Linsley and then having to wait to see what Bakhtiari does this offseason, I think they have to get somebody in the pipeline, whether that's a new center, a guy that can step in at right tackle. They have a great chess piece in Elgton Jenkins, who played all these positions … a Pro-Bowl guard but he also started for them at center and has filled in at left tackle. They have some flexibility with how they want to move their offensive line, but I think they need to add another guy there. And the first round, if you look historically, that's really been a spot Green Bay has liked to use that pick to address the starting offensive line.