[ad_1]
The Green Bay Packers saved nearly $ 9 million in salary cap savings by releasing linebacker Christian Kirksey and offensive tackle Rick Wagner on Friday.
The changes were generally expected, given the current situation of the Packers’ salary cap. The team still needs to clear about $ 12 million more to go under the cap next month. They have reasonable ways to pay more, although the remaining options aren’t as straightforward as cutting Kirksey and Wagner or restructuring the David Bakhtiari deal.
While cap losses are a part of the business, especially during this unique offseason, every player subtraction creates a ripple effect on the roster’s outlook.
At this point, Kirksey looks a lot easier to replace than Wagner.
Signed on to provide a veteran linebacker to former defensive coordinator Mike Pettine, Kirksey struggled early, missed five games with a chest injury, and was eventually replaced as the team’s No.1 linebacker. He intercepted two assists and produced two sacks, but he ranked among the worst inside linebackers in the NFL at Pro Football Focus during the 2020 season.
The Packers have a young depth in the inside linebacker. Krys Barnes and Kamal Martin have played a lot as rookies, and Ty Summers and Oren Burks are the main special teams contributors. The return squad shouldn’t prevent GM Brian Gutekunst from adding more to the post, potentially through free agency but especially the draft. Under new defensive coordinator Joe Barry, the Packers may want a different kind of inside linebacker. And Gutekunst wants better production from the position. While Barnes and Martin both flashed in their first seasons, it’s also not a sure thing and both could be liabilities if they don’t improve in 2021. That position has been a problem. for too long.
The offensive tackle puzzle without Wagner is more difficult to put together at the moment. With 11 games in 2020, Wagner was a key part of a Packers offensive line that allowed just 20 sacks from Aaron Rodgers during the regular season. With Wagner out of the picture and David Bakhtiari likely unlikely to start the season recovering from an ACL injury, the Packers look dangerously lean on the offensive tackle with the free agency approach.
Billy Turner could be the left tackle starter to start 2021 if Bakhtiari is not ready, and he can play right tackle as well. Elgton Jenkins, a Pro Bowler on guard, played the right tackle in a pinch to start 2020 and could be an option. Jon Runyan, last year’s sixth-round pick, played for Michigan but was only used in guard as a rookie. The Packers love Yosh Nijman’s tackle advantage, but he’s never played in a regular season game.
The offensive tackle for the Packers looks like a position that needs young top talent. Using a high draft pick – perhaps even the 29th overall pick in the first round – could provide the position with a long overdue help. The Packers haven’t picked a real offensive tackle in the draft since beating Jason Spriggs in the second round in 2016.
While the Packers believe they can dig through the rubble of massive cap losses and find some bargains for the veterans for a year, Kirksey and Wagner’s more likely replacements are currently on the roster or will be added to the project in a few months.
The Packers can and should do better than Kirksey, who failed to correct a position that has long been a weak spot in the middle of the defense. Finding a replacement for a solid veteran offensive tackle will be more difficult. Neither player represents a crippling subtraction, but creating a ceiling space requires creating holes in the roster. The inside linebacker and offensive tackle are certainly on the list of needs for Gutekunst and the Packers this offseason.
[ad_2]
Source link