Nathaniel Hackett was hired by the Jets last Thursday morning, and by mid-afternoon, plenty of talking heads had Aaron Rodgers re-joining his former offensive coordinator in New York. And while that could happen, a strong recommendation from one best friend (Matt LaFleur) to another (Robert Saleh) probably played a bigger role than any potential trade. Anyway, here are a few more Packers-related thoughts that ran through my mind recently:
1) NFL insiders Ian Rapoport and Adam Schefter both believe there’s a “real possibility” that Rodgers will be traded in the next few months. I hope that happens but remain skeptical. Even if LaFleur and general manager Brian Gutekunst believe it’s the right move, would team president Mark Murphy be willing to go along? He’ll be in charge for only two more seasons before facing mandatory retirement in the summer of 2025, and even if Jordan Love proves to be a legit quarterback, the Packers will be hard-pressed to win more games than they lose in 2023 and 2024. Rodgers went 6-10 as a first-year starter, and he was a much better prospect. Plus, all the restructuring of contracts will leave the cap a bit of a mess even after the four-time MVP and future Hall of Famer is gone. If Murphy truly cares about the franchise he’s led for a decade and a half, he’ll be pushing as hard as anybody for a deal. But if he’s more interested in his legacy, he’ll likely prefer to run it back again because even a diminished Rodgers gives the Packers the best chance for short-term success.
2) After watching tape in the spring of 2021, I believed that guard would be Josh Myers’ best position in the NFL. I feel the same way today. Myers has started 23 games at center for the Packers since being drafted in the second round, and he’s been consistently average. The former Ohio State standout is solid in protection but struggles in the run game. At 6-foot-5, the 24-year-old has a hard time maintaining leverage and getting consistent movement at the point of attack. His height wouldn’t be as big – pardon the pun – an issue at guard where one-on-one matchups are less frequent, and his athleticism would be more of an asset. The other benefit of moving Myers would be making room for Zach Tom at center. The fourth-round pick from Wake Forest can play any position along the offensive line, but his best chance to be a Pro Bowler is over the ball. Ironically, that’s the one spot he didn’t take any snaps at during an impressive rookie season.
3) It’s no coincidence that three of the best tight ends in the NFL were playing on Sunday (Kansas City’s Travis Kelce, Philadelphia’s Dallas Goedert, and San Francisco’s George Kittle). Gutekunst seems to understand the importance of having a quality player at this position, but he’s been unable to find one since being hired five years ago. He needs to keep trying after striking out on veteran Jimmy Graham and third-round picks Jace Sternberger and Josiah Deguara. Gutekunst should also move on from Robert Tonyan, whose 11 touchdowns in 2020 appear to be more of a fluke with each passing season. The soon-to-be free agent has scored only four times in the past 25 games. The “other” tight end playing on championship weekend was Cincinnati’s Hayden Hurst, who was paid $250K less than Tonyan in 2022. As quarterback Joe Burrow’s fourth or fifth option, he put up very similar numbers but is a better athlete and all-around player.
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I keep coming back to GB drafting a plug and play OT. As Michael writes, that would allow Tom to play center. I hadn’t thought about playing Myers at guard. If Myers can make the switch, either Myers or Runyan can back-up three inside positions. I’m thinking Nijman is a decent backup, but really should take whatever opportunity that arises.
And then there is the TE situation.
Myers was selected over C. Humphrey because of his versatility, so this does make a lot of sense. When you look at Tom, he certainly doesn’t look like a Tackle, and the more you look he doesn’t really look like a Guard either. This would make a lot of sense. I suspect Yosh becomes the backup swing tackle and they go for a starting RT in Rd. 2. I’ll keep saying it: they need an elite OL to return to contending in the NFC.
Tonyan deserves a lot of credit for making himself an NFL player ( great hands) but we need to do much better from an athletic standpoint, this includes the rest of the TE group we have. There is room on an NFL roster for the TE’s we have but not in starting roles and certainly not a room full of them. Im seeing the TE from Notre Dame mocked to us but from what I read he isn’t a great athlete and has shorter arms which is not the type of TE I would choose compared to someone who is athletic with length. Full disclosure, I don’t watch college games so it’s all hearsay. Gutey appears like he has a preference for undersized TE’s so hopefully he goes to the men’s room when it’s time to pick one.
I think Mark Murphy like the rest of the organization is suffering from Aaron Rodgers fatigue. I saw nothing from Aaron Rodgers last season that a half way competent Jordan Love can’t do. If Brock Purdy can be successful in virtually the same offense that bodes well for Love. It’s time to move on and Murphy knows it. If he’s really worried about his legacy, then he’ll want his replacement set up for success the way he was with a young franchise QB in place.