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NFC North
GM Ted Thompson has chosen not to plunge head first into the annual offseason freeding frenzy known as NFL RFA. Apparently he preferred to sign his own players rather than give out bundles of money to players from other teams. Lets summarize the off season so far:
A. Losses:
1. RB Ahman Green signed a multi year deal with the Houston Texans, after some long discussions with the Packers. Obviously, Houston was willing to give Green more money over longer time period.
Impact: This loss really hurts the depth at RB, leaving only Vernand Morency and Noah Herron as experienced RB's on the roster. Look for GB to draft a RB in a couple of weeks and perhaps sign a RB (C Brown or ??) once the NFL Draft ends.
2. TE David Martin signed with Miami, as replacement for McMichael. Martin was one of those guys who always tempted with his potential and skills but just never seemed to put it al together. Injuries played a part in that, but a certain stigma of an underachiever is applied too.
Impact: this will force the Packers to look elsewhere for a TE because Bubba Franks really slowed down a lot last year. Look for 2nd day TE to be drafted.
3. FB William Henderson retired. Henderson had a long career in GB, he was as much a force in the locker room as on the field, he will be sorely missed.
Impact: The only other FB on the roster is Brandon Miree. The packers pursued some FA FB's but did not sign anyone. Look for a 2nd day FB to be drafted.
B. Additions:
With one exception, all of these are guys who were on the roster in 2006 and were rewarded for their performance. This sends a distinct message to the team that GB will reward a player who demonstrates his skills.
1. DB Al Harris received an extension on his contract and additional bonus money. He deserved to be in ProBowl last couple of years, his play was at that level. He matches up each week against other team's top WR and normally shuts them down. He deserved every penny he got...
2. DL Cullen Jenkins got a long term contract with a substantial bonus. Again, this is a reward for his play last year, especially in the turn-around the last 6 weeks of the season when he replaced KGB as starting DE.
3. MLB Nick Barnett. The emotional and on-field leader of the defense. He may not be at the level of Urlacher or Lewis but he is in the next tier below for sure. A sideline to sideline player who now has help in AJ Hawk. This tandem could be very good.....
4. DB Frank Walker signed from New York Giants to play nickel back. A 5 year man, with experience who should be an upgrade over P Dendy. Given age of Harris and Woodson, Walker is a good insurance policy.
Pre-Draft assessment:
At this stage the Packers have signed 3 of the 4 players on their roster from last year that they wanted to keep-losing only A Green. Their needs in the NFL Draft next week are, in order of importance, as follows:
RB, DB, TE, OT, S
Look for Thompson to trade down at least once, multiple times if possible in order to stockpile additional picks.
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