Coming up short in another postseason performance, the Green Bay Packers head back to the drawing board in their quest for another Super Bowl berth. An 11-win season shouldn’t be see as a disappointment in a vacuum, but fizzling out in the playoffs after a strong regular season should be cause for concern.
While having the youngest team in the 2024-25 NFL season, Green Bay once again exceeded expectations on their way to an 11-6 campaign. Only winning one divisional matchup (out of six) this past season needs to be a huge area of improvement heading into the offseason if the team is looking for a place to start.
Offense
Jordan Love’s second season at the offense’s helm was a step back, as his year was marred with injuries and inconsistent play. Throwing for around 700 fewer yards and seven fewer touchdowns than last season, Love faltered down the stretch in the regular season, failing to eclipse the 250-yard mark in each of his final four games.
A top priority for this offense needs to be maximizing Love’s talent, above personnel additions. The talent is absolutely there for Love, but he showed this year that he needs more structure to operate at full capacity.
Josh Jacobs is absolutely what this team needed at running back, as he is a trusted veteran presence that puts everything he can on the field. Rushing for over 1,300 yards, Jacobs was a force with the ball in his hands, but the group behind him ate as well.
Jacobs and Emanuel Wilson (502 yards) each enjoyed success this past year, and next season needs to be more of the same. For the offense to work, the run needs to be incorporated more into Matt LaFleur’s gameplan.
The topic of receiver needs to be addressed this offseason, as the current group is just not cutting it. While the path of adding a bonafide WR1 (like Tee Higgins) would be an expensive path to take, refining this group’s depth has to happen.
Expect Green Bay to draft at least one wideout in April, as both Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson are only under contract for one additional season. The method that Brian Gutekunst typically takes is adding a depth option to this roster, but he needs to reconsider that approach, instead trying to find a bonafide top target for Love.
Tucker Kraft looks to be a star in the making for Green Bay, as he broke out in a big way this year. While the Luke Musgrave experiment doesn’t look to have gotten off the ground, Kraft is a trusted target of Love’s and should see an expanded role next year.
The offensive line could see a few changes, as Josh Myers hits free agency looking for a new contract. While the door is open for him to return to Green Bay, the Packers might be content to move Elgton Jenkins to center, or even reset the clock by adding a rookie.
Defense
Jeff Hafley’s side of the ball made monumental gains this past season, as his first year leading the defense was a resounding success. While each facet of the defense had its struggles in certain areas, Hafley’s scheme injected a nice jolt into a unit that struggled under Joe Barry.
However, there are concerns about how the pass rush fared this season, as they took a step back across the board. Getting more from Rashan Gary and Lukas Van Ness, as well as shoring up the depth and adding to this group, needs to be top priorities for Hafley this offseason.
The linebacker group welcomed in rookie Edgerrin Cooper, as the rookie added a much-needed element of athleticism and speed to the group. He looks to be the future star of this group, as Quay Walker, Isaiah McDuffie, and others fill in the gaps. Finding a long-term running mate for Cooper would be a great way to round out this group, likely through the draft.
The secondary needs help too, as we could have seen the last of Jaire Alexander in green and gold. Having only played in seven games each of the past two seasons, Alexander’s large contract runs another two seasons but could be cut short.
Eric Stokes hits free agency and hasn’t shown much to justify being back, and Carrington Valentine did not look like a CB1 when pressed into that duty, so this position needs reinforcements. On the other hand, the safety group, led by Xavier McKinney, is in a great position, as rookies Evan Williams and Javon Bullard put up strong seasons this past year, so no additions are likely needed here.
Special Teams
Brandon McManus helped steady the kicking position after he was added during the season, but could head elsewhere as he hits free agency. McManus should be a priority this offseason, as he is exactly what the special teams group needed.
Daniel Whelan also looks to be the long-term solution at punter, but he also hits free agency this offseason. Green Bay should look to bring Whelan back as well, as he averaged 46.1 yards per punt and had a long of 74 yards.
The returner situation seems a bit murky, as post-game comments from incumbent returner Keisean Nixon makes it seem that there may be a change here. As Nixon has held down the kick returner role, Jayden Reed and others have taken a stab at punt returns, with no long-term solution likely on the roster right now.
Armed with over $43 million in cap space entering the offseason, Green Bay shouldn’t be limited in whatever moves they make. Whether they go big-game hunting again like last season when they signed Jacobs and McKinney, or make a lot of mid-tier additions, it will be a key offseason for Gutekunst and the front office.
Needing to open the Super Bowl window even farther, an offseason of moves, additions, and improvements is in store for Green Bay, as they need to make all the right moves to keep their arrow pointing up.
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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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