Over the next several weeks, I will analyze each of the Packers’ unrestricted free agents by revisiting their 2021 seasons, assessing why they should or should not be re-signed, projecting possible contract terms, and making a prediction on whether or not the player will return in 2022.
Next up in the series, inside linebacker Oren Burks played in all 17 games last season – including three starts – and has missed only six games since 2018. Will he be rewarded with a new contract as one of the team’s best special teams players?
Season In Review
Burks entered training camp as a long shot to make the final 53, but he wound up having the best season of his four-year career. The former third-round pick had 36 tackles and half a sack. Defensive coordinator Joe Barry figured out how to get the most out of the former Vanderbilt star. Burks lined up all over for the Packers. He played 113 snaps at inside linebacker, 67 at outside linebacker, and 27 in the slot, and while he wasn’t overly impressive at any of those spots, he wasn’t a liability. Durability and versatility tend to keep journeymen like Burks employed for longer than expected.
Why Packers Should Re-sign Him
Besides the versatility he showed on defense, Burks played a team-high 360 snaps on special teams. His snaps were split among kick coverage (92), kick returns (77), field goal blocking (65), punt returns (64), and punt coverage (62). With former All-Pro outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith likely to be released due to the salary cap and All-Pro De’Vondre Campbell a free agent, retaining a linebacker who knows the system could be appealing to general manager Brian Gutekunst.
Why Packers Should Let Him Walk
Burks may be a jack of all trades, but he’s a master of none. He’s not physical enough to stop the run on a consistent basis, explosive enough to pressure the quarterback, and despite beginning his college career at safety, instinctive enough to stay with athletic tight ends in coverage. And while he might’ve been Green Bay’s best special teams player last season, that’s damning him with faint praise. A team could do worse than Burks, but it should always try to do better.
What A Contract Might Look Like
$1.035 million/1 year (veterans’ minimum)
Prediction
Burks played better under Barry than he did under previous defensive coordinator Mike Pettine, so there’s a chance he could be re-signed in May or June depending on what happens in free agency and the draft, but it’s far more likely that the Packers will move on from a player who never came close to showing why Gutekunst traded up for him four years ago.
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If you’re not getting better, you’re getting worse. Gutey held onto his mistake for four years. It’s time to move on.