Have you ever binge-watched an entire tv series and then immediately had an almost empty feeling in your gut? Kinda like a “now what?” feeling. Have you ever had that feeling after the NFL draft? No more prospect primers. No more player rankings. No more team draft needs. No more mock drafts. A few months of lead up that just end over a three day period. So, really now what? Well the good news is the NFL Season never really ends. Roster building never ends and the Green Bay Packers are far from finished. So while we wait for the next big NFL event (the schedule release should be May 11th), lets take a look at the Packers needs post-2023 NFL draft.
The Packers have addressed a lot of team needs with younger players. Because of this, they still have several roster openings for veterans who could very easily move into valuable positions for the 2023 season. I don’t believe any veteran picked up from here on out will be a long term solution, but I definitely can see some veteran moves for just this season.
These are the current team needs for this season:
Offense
In an interesting twist, the Packers projected starters on offense only have one player drafted in the first round and that’s Jordan Love. This is in contrast to the eight first rounders on the defensive side of the ball. So what offensive positions could use a veteran presence?
Quarterback
Yes, the Packers are gonna rock with Jordan Love as their starter. And yes, they drafted Sean Clifford, but I can very easily see the Packers rocking with three quarterbacks on the active roster this season. They could very easily add a veteran quarterback to the QB room. Keep in mind they do have Danny Etling on the roster, so Green Bay could see this completely differently. Here are two possible veteran QBs that could be added to the roster:
- Teddy Bridgewater
- Nick Foles
Wide Receiver
The Packers drafted three wide receivers this year and last year. The wide receiver room is looking very young. Maybe putting a veteran in there could be good for the young guys. Here are some possible candidates:
- Jarvis Landry
- Demarcus Robinson
- Byron Pringle
- Kenny Golladay
- T.Y. Hilton
Tight End
The tight end room is just as young as the wide receiver room and could definitely use a veteran presence to help with young guys. However, there is one “big” difference between the tight end need and the wide receiver need. There is only one guy that can fill the tight end need. #bringhimback
Defense
There really isn’t a ton of need on the defensive side of the ball except for one really glaring need. Let’s look at it.
Edge
Yes, the Packers just drafted Van Ness in the first round of this draft, but Rashan Gary might not be ready for the start of the season. The Packers could very well add to this position. They definitely don’t have to but they might. Here are some possibilities:
- Robert Quinn
- Anthony Barr
- Markus Golden
Safety
The real glaring need on defense, however, is at the safety position. The Packers drafted Anthony Johnson Jr., who does have a ton of potential, in the seventh round, but it does make one wonder why he fell to the seventh round. Other than Johnson Jr. the Packers really didn’t add to the safety position this offseason after having lost Adrian Amos to free agency. This could change with these potential candidates:
- Adrian Amos (could be brought back)
- Josh Johnson III
- Markus Allen (safety/linebacker hybrid)
Roster building doesn’t end with the draft. There is still a ton of work to do for the Packers and there is a long time between now and the start of the regular season. A lot can change between now and then. Look for some of these players to be added to a very young roster. I’m excited to see what this team looks like like come September 10th.
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Damon is a diehard, fully-immersed cheesehead who currently lives in southern Missouri. He teaches at a local high school and has a family YouTube channel about all things Packers. You can follow him on twitter at @packersfamily and on YouTube at The Packers Family.
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