Unlike the U.S. Postal Service, Packers Notes delivers on Sundays – at least through the end of August. Here’s another batch of letters from the offseason mailbag:
One of former GM Ted Thompson’s few good moves last offseason was signing veteran guard Jahri Evans. Is he worth bringing back? – Chuck from Florida
No. Evans gave the Packers a decent season, but he should’ve been considered a stopgap from the day he signed. If Brian Gutekunst can’t find someone better in the next three months, he has no business being the team’s general manager. So unless practice squadder Kofi Amichia is ready to make a huge leap from year one to year two, this position needs to be upgraded either via free agency or the draft.
How excited should Packers fans be after all the changes that took place last month? – Cindy from New York
It’s been a two steps forward, one step back kind of offseason so far. For example, I loved replacing Thompson with Gutekunst but didn’t like taking away a lot of his power. I also loved replacing defensive coordinator Dom Capers with Mike Pettine but didn’t like saddling him with so many holdover assistant coaches. So are things better now than they were six weeks ago? Absolutely. I’m just not sure how much better.
If Aaron Rodgers plays all 16 games, do you expect the Packers to win the North in 2018? – Alex from Wisconsin
As of today, it’s hard to go against the Vikings. They simply have a much more talented roster than the Packers. That said, a healthy Rodgers would close the gap in a hurry. But this question really shouldn’t even be considered until after free agency and the draft. With a new GM in place and perhaps as many as 12 picks to play with, the Packers should look a lot better – at least on paper – two or three months from now.
The so-called experts seem to think the Packers are set at running back? Do you agree? – James from California
It’s laughable that so many people seem to be OK with the status quo at running back. Ty Montgomery and Jamaal Williams are nothing more than solid backups, and the one player with legitimate starting ability – Aaron Jones – has missed significant time in two of the past three seasons. Running back might not be a top priority in the draft, but Gutekunst would be foolish to pass up a talented player if one’s available.
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