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Packers at trade deadline: Will Green Bay hang on or is a deal possible?

Online Niel October 30, 2024

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The The packers they are not known for making spectacular moves during the season. They did so in the offseason by signing the running back Josh Jacobs and safety Xavier McKinney during free agency — both acquisitions were resounding successes — but the The packers they seem to be in the mix with big-name players at the trade deadline, rather than crossing the finish line with them.

Don’t expect this season to be much different, if at all. Given their roster of talent, you may not see the Packers mentioned as much in the mix.

The Packers will be either 7-2 or 6-3 at next Tuesday’s trade deadline, a great or a good place to be, respectively, depending on the outcome of Sunday’s heavyweight matchup against him. lions (6-1) at Lambeau Field.

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It’s not like last season when that demoralizing 24-10 loss to the team Vikings at Lambeau Field sent the Packers to 2-5 and may have forced their hand to sell. They dealt the starting cornerback Rasul Douglas and a 2024 fifth-round pick for Invoices for a third-round pick, which they used to select the Missouri linebacker Ty’Ron Hopperwho became a special core in the team as a rookie.

The outcome of Sunday’s game with the Lions likely won’t tip the scales one way or the other, while last season a win against the Vikings would have convinced the Packers to keep Douglas at 3-4. Green Bay is a Super Bowl contender either way this time around, so common sense says the Packers will either be buyers or hold out.

NFL Network reported that the defensive end Preston Smith and offensive tackle Andre Dillarda common idler, he nevertheless gathered commercial interest. Dillard’s departure certainly wouldn’t match the significance of the Douglas trade. Smith is closer to that level of significance, but you might understand why a high school team would send an average contributor like him.

Preston Smith gets a sack in the Packers’ Week 3 win over the Titans. (Steve Roberts/Imagn Images)

Smith has a remarkable availability record, missing just one game in his 10-year career. But he turns 32 in a few weeks, making him the oldest offensive or defensive player on the team, and the Packers would free up about $7.6 million by releasing Smith this coming offseason anyway. Smith, who has played just over 56 percent of the defensive snaps this season, ranks 127th in NFL in pressure percentage among players with at least 100 pass snaps this season, according to TruMedia. Smith has 16 tackles and 2.5 sacks with no forced fumbles and just two tackles for loss. It makes sense why the Packers would want to get more than just cap space in exchange for Smith, as they could cut him after this season anyway, especially since we know how much general manager Brian Gutekunst values his draft picks .

If they were to trade Smith, would they be looking to add an edge rusher? It almost should. Rashan Gary (64.38 percent of defensive snaps), Kingsley Enagbare (43.25) and Lukas Van Ness (40.9) are all common contributors. But the Packers, and any team probably, need at least a four-man rotation on the edge. Defensive end Arron Mosby was on the 53-man roster all season but played just two defensive snaps out of a potential 511. Defensive end Brenton Cox Jr.who has been on 53 since becoming an undrafted rookie last year, has appeared in just four games in 2023 and has been inactive for every game this season. Given how inconsistent the Packers’ pass rush has been through eight games already this season, they can’t do Smith and not acquire someone in either the same deal or a separate one . If they don’t trade Smith, they’ll likely stick with just the four they currently have. Ironically, who is the top quarterback that could be traded, according to NFL Network? Za’Darius Smith. Don’t hold your breath for a reunion there, folks.

Elsewhere, there are no obvious trade deadline positions in Green Bay, which is why I think the Packers will ultimately hold. The Packers have a franchise quarterback and perhaps the league’s best backup. They have one of the best running backs in the NFL and a seemingly solid backup stable, especially as rookies. MarShawn Lloyd is coming back from injury. Everyone knows about depth at receiver. Tucker Kraft is a rising star at tight end and Luke Musgravewhen he returns from injured reserve, he has the potential to be a solid no. 2.

Green Bay’s offensive line is below average, according to ESPN Analytics, with the Packers ranking 17th in pass-blocking win rate and 24th in run-block win rate. However, they appear to have a future starter at either left tackle or right guard in the early first round Jordan Morgan and a current and future starter at left guard in Elton Jenkinsto the right tackle in Zach Tom and maybe even in the center Josh Myers depending on whether the Packers re-sign him in the offseason. His futures Rasheed Walker at left tackle and Sean Ryan at right guard might be a little murkier, but the point remains that the Packers don’t seem ready to make a flashy move on the offensive line at the deadline.

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On the defensive side, Kenny Clark and Devonte Wyatt are cornerstones on the interior defensive line for the present and future, with Carl Brooks and Colby Wooden only in the second season that they flashed sporadically. TJ Slaton he’s in the final year of his rookie deal and has yet to become anything more than a complementary piece. Could the Packers be looking for a splash trade here? Sure, but anyone who would be a clear improvement over their current depth pieces could command the draft capital that Gutekunst isn’t willing to part with.

Green Bay is set as a linebacker for the present and future with Walker Keys, Edgerrin Cooper, Eric Wilson and Isaiah McDuffie and safe with McKinney, Evan Williams and Javon Bullard. The only other interesting spot might be cornerback. The Packers liked Bullard in the slot with Casey Nixon outside, but if Nixon is in the slot, Green Bay could use an upgrade at the opposite outside corner Jaire Alexandru. Eric StokesGreen Bay’s 2021 first-round pick looks set to head to another team in free agency this coming offseason if he continues at his current level of play.

In short, a Packers team with no glaring needs that doesn’t make noise at the deadline under the current general manager, even when they have obvious needs, probably won’t make noise this time either. Remember the Odell Beckham Jr. sweepstakes a few years ago when the Packers needed an upgrade at wide receiver no. 2 in the back Davante Adams? It’s been free agency since brown he had released Beckham, but the point remains. I’m not sure the backlash this season will be as fierce as it was back then if the Packers don’t make a move, if there’s even any backlash if they sit idle this year. It’s obvious the Packers have a roster worthy of Super Bowl contention as it stands.