Much of the criticism for the Green Bay Packers’ struggles through the first two games of the season has fallen onto the shoulders of head coach Matt LaFleur, and rightfully so. The team has looked flat-out sloppy, with the most penalties in the NFL through two games and a laundry list of concerns on both sides of the field. But why aren’t those same concerns falling back on general manager Brian Gutekunst?
The Packers have made their fair share of great business decisions, from shocking the world and selecting Jordan Love in the first round back in 2020 to their all-in move for Micah Parsons last year. However, some of Green Bay’s offseason business decisions are coming back to haunt them, as familiar faces in new places outperformed the Packers’ current lineup in Week 2.
Former Packers dominate Week 2 of the NFL season as Green Bay stumbles into a win against New York.
In Seattle, running back Emanuel Wilson racked up 92 rushing yards in a featured role while Green Bay’s entire backfield combined for 63 rushing yards on 18 touches. Granted, he’s running behind a superior offensive line, but the 23-year-old clearly outplayed any Packers running back over the first two weeks of the season.
Two departed wide receivers, Dontayvion Wicks in Philadelphia and Romeo Doubs in New England, each outgained any Packers wide receiver in Week 2. Wicks, who the Packers haphazardly dealt to the Eagles this summer, caught 5-of-6 targets for 74 yards, and Doubs caught 3-of-4 targets for a game-high 96 yards, each in victories for their respective teams.
As the Packers’ offensive line ranks among the worst in the league through two games, former tackle Rasheed Walker is having immense success in Carolina, outperforming his replacement, Jordan Morgan, with ease.
Ultimately, these are all decisions that fall back on Gutekunst, whose big moves this offseason were to deal edge rusher Rashan Gary to the Cowboys, trade for 30-year-old Zaire Franklin, and re-sign the players he viewed as their primary playmaking options: Christian Watson, Tucker Kraft, and the injured Jayden Reed.
None of those individual moves were bad decisions in a vacuum, although there was inherent risk in the Reed contract. But it’s clear Green Bay let some real talent go, and it’s hard to imagine they’re better off without the handful of former Packers who are exceeding expectations to start the year.
Brian Gutekunst did not move the needle this offseason and Green Bay Packers fans are suffering because of it.
This isn’t about calling for Gutekunst’s job, as he ultimately had a solid offseason given the difficult position the team was in. They weren’t good enough last year and something had to change. That meant letting some players walk in free agency and trending toward a younger overall core to build for the future while awaiting the return of Micah Parsons.
Regardless, there should be a reality check that Gutekunst isn’t perfect, and neither was his decision-making this summer. Green Bay would really benefit from having one of Doubs or Wicks still under contract as they face injury woes in the wide receiver room, putting a heavy and potentially cumbersome workload on the shoulders of Watson, who has a lengthy injury history, and Golden, who looks great but is still quite early in his NFL career.
Furthermore, we need to cut through the noise and call a spade a spade… this Packers offensive line stinks, and it’s blatantly apparent over two weeks. Injuries are not helping the situation whatsoever, but they’ve been sloppy and have forced Jordan Love into precarious scenarios on every drive he’s led thus far.
Your mileage may vary on how good a GM Gutekunst is and has been for Green Bay, but the team’s lackluster performance thus far isn’t just a coaching and personnel problem. It stems from the front office’s decision-making this offseason, and we cannot simply let that slip through the cracks when trying to figure out what’s wrong with this Packers team and how to adjust moving forward.
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