New league year started, free agency hit with a bang and lasted it allotted week. On to the draft. Bring it on. What do you do during filler time!
You mean other than clearing snow out of my driveway four times?
Have you dug out from the blizzard yet? We got 20 inches, but I saw you were in for up to 30.
We got all of 27 inches in my neck of the woods. That blizzard was something else. The 2018 one was bad, but this was relentless for most of 36 hours. Between this snowstorm and the minus-50-degree stretch, I’d say this was one of the worst winters of my lifetime. Call me George because I’m dreaming of spring.
Jimi from Weeki Wachee, FL
Do you think the Packers should look at a free agent like Darren Waller? I know he has an injury history, but could you imagine him and Tucker Kraft in the red zone?
I think they’re good with Kraft and Luke Musgrave. What the Packers need is a blocking tight end. John FitzPatrick sustained a significant Achilles injury at year’s end, and they need someone to take the in-line load off Kraft. Maybe it’s Messiah Swinson, who returned at the end of the 2025 season. Maybe it’s a draft pick. Maybe it’s a second-wave free agent. But the Packers need a blocking tight end.
Looks like the first frenzy-filled wave of free agency has run its course. Now we move from the splash signings (people like to get wet) to the savvy signings. In my opinion over the years, this has been a strength area for Brian Gutekunst. Everyone can have a good year or a bad year now and then but seems like Gutey has done well over the years and reasonably consistently. What do you think?
You gotta win in the narrow margins of this league, whether it’s Day 3 of the NFL Draft, undrafted free agents or the late wave of free agency. Anyone can pay big money for big names. Can you find talent where others aren’t looking? That has been an area of strength for Gutekunst, and Green Bay will need to dip into those waters again to offset some of these losses in free agency.
I get the feeling a lot of Packers Nation is upset at the loss of Emanuel Wilson. I agree we never knew what the Packers offered or what Wilson wanted but I think Chris Brooks is the better back. It was clear, after being a distinct third option earlier in the year, the coaches had more faith in Brooks over time. For every splashy play Wilson made, Brooks had the down-to-down reliability I think coaches seek. He was always moving forward, exceptional in pass pro and not keen on dancing in the backfield.
To me, the timing was right for the Packers and Wilson to go in different directions. Wilson has a prime opportunity to compete for more playing time in Seattle while the Packers can shift their focus to developing a long-term running back whether it’s MarShawn Lloyd or an incoming draft pick. In the meantime, Brooks is a great complement to Josh Jacobs. He’s a reliable third-down back who has experience playing with Jacobs in the two-RB looks.
David from Janesville, WI
With Wilson leaving, I’m hearing murmurs to keep an eye on Damien Martinez. I believe he was a late-season addition to the practice squad before signing his futures deal. Do you have any observations on him? Second, what is your pick for the Brewers’ rotation to start the season? Sounds like Big Woo and Priester may be delayed. Lots of young, unproven (at least at the big league level) arms to watch.
I’ll save the Brewers question for Spoff if he wants to answer it, but I wouldn’t rule out Martinez. Look no further than Wilson and Brooks as relative unknowns who became key players in the Packers’ backfield when preparation met opportunity. Martinez’s late-season signing also reminds me of Bo Melton in 2022. Both were former seventh-round picks by Seattle who spent time on the Seahawks’ practice squad before making their way to Green Bay.
Do you think the “pay scale” for offensive linemen will start to even out from position to position? With the (seemingly) decline in the desire to give huge contracts to tackles, along with (seemingly) the willingness to pay interior folks a bit more, perhaps their value will no longer favor one position over another?
Call me old school, but I still favor the prioritization of franchise left tackles. There’s good reason they were the first to break the bank. It’s an essential position, especially with a right-handed quarterback. That’s not to say you can’t pay guards and centers top-tier contracts, but NFL teams need stability and security at left tackle, or the house of cards quickly falls. Walker helped Green Bay stem the tide from David Bakhtiari. Hopefully, Jordan Morgan can be the next guy.
I have submitted countless questions, which some have been addressed, about playing O-linemen at their normal positions. Gute says Jordan Morgan won the left tackle job out of camp last year but was moved to the other side because of injuries made me spit out my coffee! I have never agreed on the Packers cross-training their O-linemen to play other positions. If you move a player, the continuity needed on the O-line goes out the window. Moving Elgton Jenkins to center is another example. Please address this philosophy!
But you can’t count on having the same starting five all year, Ray. Never mind the fact Walker was the Packers’ starting left tackle for the previous two seasons, but he also hadn’t played another position. It was left tackle or bust while one of the reasons Green Bay drafted Morgan was his positional versatility. To build the best “starting five,” the Packers chose to keep Walker at left tackle in 2025 and move Morgan inside. But next season is a new season and an entirely different equation. I get why the Packers did what they did with Jenkins. He was exceptional when he was pressed into action at center and was picking up steam at the time of his injury. But tectonic shifts happen fast in the NFL and here we are.
If Morgan, Lukas Van Ness and Matthew Golden make big contributions this year, no one will miss the first-round draft pick. The draft-and-develop Packers really won’t feel the gap in the pipeline until 2028 and 2029. Right around the time they’ll have to start worrying about facing J.J. McCarthy.
Change is scary, but this is a chance for growth and improvement. The Packers had so many players outperform where they were drafted in 2022, aiding their rapid turnaround. But Van Ness, Golden and Morgan are elite prospects who projected as pillars. The runway is clear for takeoff. We’ll see how high their collective ceiling runs.
II, maybe creating the schedule is a job for A.I. It could take out all the bias, determine lowest travel times and still keep the most desirable team matchups. Do you think that could happen?
It’s something to consider, but A.I. struggles with context and rationality. At some level, you still need the human element driving these decisions.
Gentlemen, more an observation than a question. Was watching highlight tapes of our newest Packers and was struck by Skyy Moore‘s willingness to finish plays and grind out a couple extra yards. Given the overall skill position depth the Packers have enjoyed for a while, I think a few more guys such as Kraft and Jacobs willing to make the defenders go to the ground, as well, will pay off in favorable late-game matchups.
Moore has a pedigree. He was a former second-round pick and anything Moore adds to the offense would be welcome. However, this move is really about special teams and providing stability on the return units. Savion Williams was solid on kickoffs last year but dealt with injuries and never was part of the punt plan. Moore gives Green Bay multiple options in addition to being a depth piece at receiver.