What Ted Thompson Could Do With Four Million Dollars

It's been one of those weeks if you are a Green Bay Packers fan. It's been another "Ted Thompson" free agency period that we have become so accustom to where Ted sits back and doesn't pounce on any big free agents. It's a sign of confidence that I highly admire in Thompson. My own philosophy is that teams that are desperate are the one's who feverishly sign as many free agents as possible and break the banks and salary caps. Ted has an extraordinary amount of trust in his homegrown talent and is hesitant to sign free agents year after year.

This piece I have put together does not insist that I think Ted Thompson should go out and get free agents, nor do I think he will. This is simply to take a look at what is left out there that (in the case Ted does open up his check book and spend a little) could help the Packers in areas where they wouldn't have to waste a draft pick on. Heading into the draft, Our biggest needs are offensive line, defensive line, safety, and linebacker.

According to the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, the Packers are sitting around 22 million in cap room. (Was at 18.7 million until today when A.J. Hawk's pay cut was announced that he went from 7.05 million to 3.6 million) Ideally, the Packers would end up spending that on extensions for Aaron Rodgers and Clay Matthews. Also, with the draft approaching, teams usually spend about 5-6 million on their draft picks. With that said, it is expected that the Packers could continue cutting some players on the roster. One move that Green Bay could take a look at is cutting Tramon Williams, who is set to make just under a down payment on a house of 6 million dollars in 2013. He's 30 years old which isn't terrible for a defensive back. His number declined in from 2011 to 2012. It has been rumored that he may have to compete for a starting spot heading into trainings camp this year. The possibility is definitely there.

So, going with that and a few other cuts (Marshall Newhouse, for example), let's say Ted Thompson has a good 10 million dollars sitting on his desk staring him in his eyes. 5 million for free agency, the other 5 million for draft picks. What kind of talent is out there that Ted could get the most for his money? Basically, TT is Macklemore and free agency is his thrift shop. Let's see how Ted could pop some tags.

Ted Thompson on his offseason vacation enjoying a soft drink with two locals.

Rashad Jennings - RB - Age: 27 - 2012 salary: $574,612
Ted's 2013 Contract Offer: 2 Years, $1,500,000 ($250,000 signing bonus) 

Rashad Jennings spent most of his 2012 backing up Jaguars star running back Maurice Jones-Drew until MJD was injured and Jacksonville went with a running back by committee for the rest of the season. Jennings saw more touches, but not as many as scouts would have liked to see to see Jennings' full potential. It's worth noting that the Jaguars had the second worst record in the NFL last year, thus gave up on their season quite early. Rashad is a big, power runner which would compliment the Packers' speedy DuJuan Harris really well. He's a great blocker and a great pass catcher. He can also break for big runs at straight speed as well as break through arm tackles like it's nothing. His durability is a question, but so was Cedric Benson's and we ended up signing him last year. Speaking of Benson, Ted paid under a million dollars for Cedric so I can't imagine he wants to spend more than that on another runner. The upside for Rashad Jennings and the Packers is far to great to ignore.

Danario Alexander - WR - Age: 24 - 2012 salary: $490,000
Ted's 2013 Contract Offer: 4 Years, $4,000,000 ($1,000,000 guaranteed)

Alexander caught everything last year, including Champ Bailey

Where do I begin here? Let's get the negatives out of the way first I suppose. He's had five knee surgeries during his football career, starting when he played for Missouri. Last year in November, Alexander was asked on how his knees feel and commented that "My left knee felt just like my right knee...No thought goes into how it feels, and no effort is spent trying to baby it. Same with the hamstring. After everything I’ve dealt with, I consider myself blessed to feel this way." Shortly after this interview with San Diego Union-Tribune, Danario had one of the best two-month stretches by any wide receiver in recent memory. In November to December, Alexander racked in 37 catches for 657 yards and 7 touchdowns. He definitely shined in a very lackluster Chargers offense. He finished the season with the highest per-play efficiency rankings among receivers for many analysts. So essentially, if he can pass your team's physical inspection, he sound be a nice, cheap steal in this free agent class. The Packers need for him is obvious. Greg Jennings went to the Vikings. Donald Driver retired. The Packers need depth at wide receiver as James Jones' contract is set to expire after this season and Jordy Nelson's the next after. Alexander could be a legit deep threat for Aaron Rodgers, which could add yet to the already elite arsenal for our offense.

Sebastian Vollmer - OT - Age: 28 - 2012 salary: $650,000
Ted's 2013 Contract Offer: 2 Years, $2,000,000 ($650,000 guaranteed)

Here is Vollmer ripping Chris Long's head off.

By now you should all know I'm not a fan of Marshall Newhouse. But, if you didn't, well now you do. Bryan Bulaga is going to get a look at left tackle during training camp, which puts a partial void at the right tackle position. I like Don Barclay, don't get me wrong. However, I know our track record with offensive linemen and injuries so in my eyes the extra depth can always help. Sebastian Vollmer is six-foot-eight, three hundred thirty pounds. He bounced back from an injury in 2011 and had an outstanding season in 2012 for the Patriots. He's very good at both run and pass blocking. Vollmer is quite versatile as he can play both left and right tackle. Ted wouldn't have to spend much on Vollmer, and giving him a look would be very smart if they want to keep Aaron Rodgers around for a while. Eric Winston is another free agent offensive tackle on the market, but would likely require a contract where he would be making a few million dollars a year, which is something Ted wants to avoid as he doesn't like big gambles and "all-ins" for free agents.

Michael Hoomanawanui - TE - Age: 24 - 2012 salary: $540,000
Ted's 2013 Contract Offer: 3 Years, $1,900,000 ($700,000 guaranteed)

We lost Tom Crabtree to the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, which was poor management by the Packers for not tendering him. But, it's water under the bridge now. The Packers have four other tight ends, with Jermichael Finley at the top of the depth chart. Then you have the injured Andrew Quarless, the unproven D.J. Williams, and Ryan Taylor who has caught one pass for 11 yards in 3 NFL seasons. Hoomanawanui was 3rd in command with the Patriots last year under Gronkowski and Hernandez. Hoomanawanui is a much better blocker than Crabtree, is a better offensive threat than Crabtree, and has a way cooler name than Crabtee. I say Ted grabs him, just so I can see all of the Packer fans attempt to spell his name on social media outlets.(especially since "traitor" was so difficult).

With these four signings, Ted Thompson just spent $3,633,000 with just over 6 million to use for draft picks. Now these would be perfect scenarios, however they aren't at all farfetched. The Packers might take the high road and focus strictly on the draft to patch their holes, but I wouldn't be surprised if we brought in one or two players to help our needs.

Until next time, Beers, Brats, and Championships.

- Andrew Vrchota (@AndrewVrchota)

Follow us on Twitter for up to date news on Brewers, Packers, Badgers, Bucks and more. Live in game commentary, breaking news, previews, and post game discussion. @WISportsBlog @AndrewVrchota, @JoeP_Norton, @SMahon2Go @ryan_937, @Mik3_Schu, @jheldred, @B_Toom_3, and @olewr7. Finally, find us on Instagram! (wisportsblog)

Packers Needs By Position: Defense/Special Teams

Yesterday, I looked at the Packers’ needs on offense. Today, I’ll look at the defense and special teams. Let’s go.

Defensive End

•   Mike Neal
•   Mike Daniels
•   Jerel Worthy
•   CJ Wilson

Neal, Daniels, and Worthy are all in the same boat; young players that have shown flashes of dominance but can’t maintain a high level of play over the course of a game. Neal has been around longer and has had more injury issues as well as a suspension, so he’s probably on thinner ice than the other two. Wilson is a solid run defender but doesn’t bring much in the pass rush department. An upgrade would be useful here.

Free agency doesn’t offer much, and certainly not in the 3-4 end category. The team brought in Chris Canty (who’d likely be an end in the Packers’ system) for a visit, but he’s pretty average and they haven’t offered a deal yet. Mike Devito, Richard Seymour, and Ricky Jean Francois would be fits, and Israel Idonije and Jonathan Fanene could probably handle a transition to the 3-4. I’ve always liked Trevor Scott and Matt Shaughnessy but they’re both too undersized for the scheme. All four of the current ends are Ted Thompson draft picks, and it seems likely he’d address the position that way, though a reunion with Cullen Jenkins would have been nice, however he signed with the Giants today. Oh well.
Need: High

Defensive Tackle

•   Ryan Pickett
•   BJ Raji
•   Jordan Miller

Pickett is still useful but is well past his prime. Raji is their best lineman but hasn’t quite been the dominant force they need him to be. After a tremendous 2010, BJ’s performance has dropped off the last two seasons. Miller hasn’t seen any regular season snaps and is likely a non-factor.

There are some free agents with 3-4 mileage but the team isn’t going to replace Raji or Pickett, unless the team decides it’s time to cut Pickett. Isaac Sopoaga is a pretty good player and can play tackle or end, he’d be a hell of a fit but will have a high price tag. A rookie to groom behind Raji and Pickett seems like a probable thing that will happen.
Need: Low

Inside Linebacker

•   Desmond Bishop
•   DJ Smith
•   AJ Hawk
•   Brad Jones (FA)
•   Rob Francois
•   Terrell Manning
•   Micah Johnson

What A.J. Hawk thinks of your run game.

Bishop and Smith should probably be the starters if healthy. Both are coming off knee injuries so that’s not a given. Hawk is an average player who’s a cut candidate because of his price tag. He played well during the Super Bowl run but has had a rough couple of years since. Jones (who’s a free agent) has always been more of a 4-3 OLB type than a 3-4 ILB but performed admirably when forced into action. Ideally, he’s a backup. Francois is a good special teamer who has played well when given defensive snaps but was passed over last year for some reason when injuries happened. The reluctance to play him was rather puzzling. Manning hasn’t been able to get on the field since being drafted.

Free agency won’t be a thing. Not much out there to begin with. Probably a couple draftees/UFAs for competition and depth but unless Bishop and Smith are slow to recover I don’t see a major move happening.
Need: Medium

Outside Linebacker

•   Clay Matthews
•   Nick Perry
•   Frank Zombo (RFA)
•   Erik Walden (FA)
•   Dezman Moses
•   Jamari Lattimore

Eat your hearts out, literally.

Matthews kicks balls, metaphorically speaking. Everyone else......much less so, both literally and figuratively. Perry was drafted to be a bookend to Clay but sustained an ACL injury and missed most of the season, meaning the awful backups had to play. Walden has the occasional big game but overall was pretty bad and was an absolute disaster in the playoff loss to the 49ers, contributing to the defeat in a big way. He has no grasp of what contain is. Fortunately, he’s a free agent. Moses and Zombo play hard but aren’t good enough to be any more than backups. Lattimore isn’t anything to get excited about.

Even with Perry around the team can’t put itself in the same position it was in last year, especially considering Matthews isn’t exactly an ironman either. This seems like a position where free agency may be necessary. Paul Kruger is a hot (and probably expensive) free agent name but Shaun Phillips and Connor Barwin are solid players that can take some pressure off of Matthews. As is the theme, the draft is an option but with Perry around they already have a young prospect with starting potential. Either way depth is an absolute necessity.
Need: High

Cornerback

•   Tramon Williams
•   Sam Shields (RFA)
•   Casey Hayward
•   Davon House
•   Jarrett Bush
•   James Nixon

Williams has been average at best the last two seasons, and that’s kind. He’s not the aggressive playmaker he was, and isn’t physical in coverage anymore. He’s already been told he has to compete for a starting job, and rightfully so. Hayward had fantastic rookie season, and House showed promise after basically redshirting the previous year. Shields was also excellent despite some missed time and eased some concerns after a sluggish 2011. Bush is the special teams ace that shouldn’t see many defensive snaps.
 
The team has their five corners. Moving on....
Need: Low

Safety

•   Morgan Burnett
•   MD Jennings
•   Jerron McMillian
•   Sean Richardson
•   Chaz Powell

Like cornerback, there’s some promise here. Jennings and McMillian both showed some flashes, Burnett looked solid and was probably underrated amid the 2011 defensive disaster. All three could use a little work in run support, and Burnett at times seems hesitant to make plays on the ball. The team seems to like Richardson, who was a college teammate of Hayward’s. He could see a bump in playing time much like Jennings did in 2012. Jarrett Bush can also fill in here, though once again that’s far from optimal. Overall, none of these guys look like a star, but at worst they should be average players going forward.

While adding a free agent seems extremely unlikely, it’s a terrific class. It wouldn’t be outlandish for the team to bring in a veteran for depth or look to add a playmaker in the wake of Charles Woodson’s departure, but there’s better ways to spend cap space. Spending a draft pick here seems iffy unless it’s a best-player-available scenario.
Need: Low-ish

Kicker

•   Mason Crosby

Well all know Crosby had a bad year. In fact, 2011 was Crosby’s only actual good year, and he was bad enough in 2012 to even it out. His accuracy will probably never be great, but his leg cannon is a weapon on kickoffs and he’s still a threat to make a field goal from any distance.

Of the free agents, Steven Hauschka is the only guy I even remotely like, and his skill set isn’t all that dissimilar from Crosby. They won’t sign a FA anyways, it’s far more likely they bring in a camp body just to provide competition. They’re financially committed to Mason, so I doubt a change happens.
Need: Medium

Punter

•   Tim Masthay

Masthay is really, really good. Seriously, you guys.
Need: Nope

Long Snapper

•   Brett Goode

Most of you probably didn’t even know who the Packers’ long snapper is, which is as good a thing as you can say about a long snapper.
Need: Does anyone ever need a new long snapper?

Until next time, Beers, Brats, and Championships.

- Jerry Eldred (@jheldred)

Follow us on Twitter for up to date news on Brewers, Packers, Badgers, Bucks and more. Live in game commentary, breaking news, previews, and post game discussion. @WISportsBlog @AndrewVrchota, @JoeP_Norton, @SMahon2Go @ryan_937, @Mik3_Schu, @jheldred, @B_Toom_3, and @olewr7. Finally, find us on Instagram! (wisportsblog)