From Rasul Douglas to Jarran Reed to De’Vondre Campbell, general manager Brian Gutekunst has done an excellent job at finding pieces in the veteran scrap heap. Adding players to your roster at this point in the offseason usually doesn’t amount to much, but the Green Bay Packers have certainly reaped those benefits lately.
The 2023 version of their roster still could use some polishing, but with training camps to open up near the end of July, there will be a few things wrapped up. With Jordan Love taking the reins for this first season as the starter, the microscope will certainly be on this team and its players.
In order to help make this the best team possible, it would be smart for Gutekunst to look into signing one of the following free agents. There is plenty of talent still available, and Green Bay has enough pull to make a deal or two work for all parties involved.
Inspiration for this article came from Paul Bretl’s article on Dairyland Express.
Carson Wentz
No question about it – the Packers desperately need a veteran QB in their locker room. Currently behind Love is rookie Sean Clifford and journeyman Danny Etling, and those three names fail to really instill any sort of confidence in this room.
The trio of Teddy Bridgewater, Matt Ryan, and Carson Wentz are available and headline the QB market currently, but Wentz looks like he would be a better fit in Green Bay. While he still likely would prefer to sign with a team looking for a starter, he could do much worse than joining a team that needs some sort of veteran option.
In a perfect world, Wentz would just be counted on to help coach/mentor Love and give Matt LaFleur someone to count on in team meetings. But in the event that Love were to get injured, Wentz has enough left in the tank where he could hold down the fort for the time being.
Casey Hayward
It has been eight seasons since the Packers had cornerback Casey Hayward on their roster, and it still is one of the biggest the front office has made in a long time by letting him walk. Hayward went on to big-time success with the Chargers, after which he played for the Raiders and the Falcons for one season each.
If Douglas ends up making the move to safety alongside Darnell Savage, then it would be good to have a veteran CB working the slot. Plus, being able to add a mentor for both Jaire Alexander and Eric Stokes would be the cherry on top of this already-strong defensive unit.
Marcedes Lewis
The final player on this list is someone who should have already been signed this offseason – tight end Marcedes Lewis. Having spent his last five seasons in Green Bay, Lewis was the ultimate veteran presence that was known for his locker room presence and his blocking acumen on the field.
The TE room for the Packers is pretty unimpressive at this point, even with the additions of rookies Luke Musgrave and Tucker Kraft. Being able to block and block well as a TE is important in a LaFleur offense, and that trait is not held by most of the TEs on the roster.
While Lewis would be brought back in a very limited role, he certainly would be a welcomed addition to help Love transition into the starter role. Likely looking for a bigger role than what the Packers can offer, it may end up being the time for Lewis to hang up his cleats this offseason.
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Mike Johrendt has been an avid fan of the Packers ever since he can remember. He is now a writer at PackersTalk and you can follow him on Twitter at @MJohrendt23
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