Untangling the situation at cornerback is not far behind, though.

Now it is true that Green Bay is better off at corner than o-line as of right now. Still, age, injuries and unknowns permeate the group and the Packers must [...]]]> Sorting out the mess along the offensive line must be the Green Bay Packers’ top priority this offseason.

Untangling the situation at cornerback is not far behind, though.

Now it is true that Green Bay is better off at corner than o-line as of right now. Still, age, injuries and unknowns permeate the group and the Packers must find a way to ensure some stability there, especially for the good of the team’s long-term success.

Currently, Green Bay has nine – that’s right, nine – corners who either are or could be in the fold for next season. Of that group, only 26-year old Tramon Williams has a better than decent chance to be as a starter five years from now (provided the team finally sucks it up and gives him a new contract, which I think it will do soon).

Charles Woodson, obviously, is still playing at an elite level – that little Defensive Player of the Year trophy proves that. With the way he takes care of himself, he should definitely be a starter for at least the next couple of years (maybe longer if the team moves him to safety, which some think will surely happen eventually). That said, he turns 34 in October and the injury risks increase exponentially with each passing year. Plus, as great as his 2009 season was, it’s really hard to imagine Woodson playing any better than that ever again. I’m not trying to put a damper on what he just accomplished and I’m not saying he won’t be very good again next season; rather, I’m saying that, sometimes, you have to recognize the top of the mountain when you’re on it.

Al Harris is even older, set to turn 36 in December. On top of that, he’s coming off a major, major knee injury (even worse than we originally thought, as seen here). Harris is notoriously tough and, like Woodson, does a great job of keeping in shape. I’ve said before he’ll be back next season and I’m sticking to that. Still, no one really knows what Al Harris is going to show up. Remember, he’s never been the fastest corner and if he loses too many more steps, that could be a wrap for him.

If something were to happen to either one of these two, the Packers would still be okay because, again, they have Williams. But what if something were to happen to both guys? Furthermore, who plays opposite Williams when Harris and Woodson are enjoying their respective retirements?

Pat Lee? The guy who’s played exactly five NFL games (all coming in his rookie season) in two years? Sure, Lee has looked decent enough in training camp and the preseason games – and he was a second-round pick in ‘08 – but back and knee injuries have forced him to end each season on injured reserve. Plus, he was drafted for the old bump-and-run scheme. No one knows how he will fit in having to play more zone coverage.

Will Blackmon? If injuries have hampered Lee, they’ve killed Blackmon, causing him to miss 31 of a possible 64 regular season games throughout his four-year career. Again like Lee, Blackmon has shown some definite ability (extra points since he’s shown it during games that actually count) at the position. And it’s true that he can be a deadly punt returner. But this only happens when he stays healthy – and that’s just not something he’s been able to do. This is why I think he should not be offered any sort of tender. You’re already hoping one guy (Lee) can stay healthy. You can’t afford to have that hope for two guys. Remember, teams usually only carry six – in some cases, seven – corners on the roster.

To paraphrase the tried-and-true informercial line: But wait, it gets worse.

How? Jarrett Bush is still on the roster, that’s how. I’m seriously not going to waste much more time talking about how awful he is. Go back and watch the tape – if you stomach will allow it.

Then there’s Brandon Underwood. The team seems to be at least somewhat high on his abilities, but at this point he’s nothing more than a back-end corner – a sixth or seventh guy, at best.

Josh Bell was signed later in the year and did little of anything and Trevor Ford is likely just a career practice squad player.

When you add it all up, you get a picture of a group that is indeed talented and top heavy, but a group that could easily be brought down by an injury or two (as we saw in the Pittsburgh game and the wild card loss to Arizona). The Packers must reinforce this group in the offseason.

Since we’re solutions-oriented here at OBOD, I’ll give you my thoughts on how the Packers should go about doing that:

• Before you do anything else, cut Bush and end this nightmare once and for all.
• Do not bother bringing Blackmon and Bell back. Ford can again be on the practice squad. 
• Try like hell to sign San Francisco’s Dre Bly in free agency. As I’ve said before on this site, it’s true that Bly is set to turn 33 in May and can tend to take too many chances. But he also recorded three picks and 13 passes defended last season in a 3-4 scheme. Also, his gambling nature wouldn’t hurt him as much considering he’d be the third or fourth corner, depending on how quickly Harris heals and can shake the rust off. Plus, at his age, you could probably get him for one year at $2 million.
• Use your second round pick on the best corner available, perhaps Rutgers’ Devin McCourty or Florida State’s Patrick Robinson. Don’t worry about the fact that both are under 6-feet tall. Instead, focus on the fact that both can really cover.

By doing this, the corner group would look something like this: Woodson, Harris, Williams, Bly, the second round pick, Lee and Underwood. Bly gives you the short-term insurance needed if something happens to Woodson and/or Harris. Plus, he’d allow the Packers the chance to really observe Lee, the rookie and Underwood in non-pressure situations to determine who is best suited to be the long-term option. If something happens to Bly, you’ve got those same three youngsters and you’d have to think one of them could do the job.

Yes, signing Bly and taking a corner in round two would be to dump even more money/high picks into a position filled with money/high picks. But when you consider how badly the position needs to be upgraded – and how good the defense could be if the reinforcements at corner arrive – it’s not too high a price to pay.

What do you think, fans? What would you do at corner next season? Comment, baby, comment!

-Chris Lempesis

But what about some players, currently on other teams, who might be able to help the Pack next season?

That’s the focus of the final part of our post-season, pre-draft to-do [...]]]> So, we’ve just about covered the current in-house situation for the Green Bay Packers with regards to their upcoming free agents and the players who could be released.

But what about some players, currently on other teams, who might be able to help the Pack next season?

That’s the focus of the final part of our post-season, pre-draft to-do list as we’re going to take a look at some impending free agents in areas of need for Green Bay.

I’m going to rank the positions in order of most-to-least in need of upgrades. I won’t list every position possible, of course, as the Packers are more-than-set at a few spots (quarterback, wide receiver, etc.). Again, this thing ended up being just too long to run as one post, so I’ve broken it up into two sections. Part two will run later today (I promise).

And, finally, remember that the Packers are currently about $10 million under the cap. Yes, there likely won’t be a cap next season, but a fiscally-conservative franchise like Green Bay could very well set a number for what the cap would have been and a number for what they would have spent had there been one. Even if there isn’t a cap, the Packers aren’t likely to go over whatever number that might be. In other words, Ted Thompson isn’t going to start dishing out $50 million contracts left and right. He’ll let Daniel Snyder and Jerry Jones do that.

Alright, no more stalling. Here is our early free agency look.

As always, enjoy.

1. Left tackle/left guard – If you’ve been following our coverage this week, you know that I think both Chad Clifton and Daryn Colledge should be sent packing. Clifton’s old and likely to fall apart soon enough and Colledge is just too up-and-down and when he’s down, he’s a wreck. Of course, by doing that, the Packers would then need an entirely new left side of the o-line. If Mark Tauscher’s brought back (which I think, and hope, he will be), my best guess is that T.J. Lang fills one of the two slots on the left side. The draft very well could be Thompson’s place to fill the other spot. If he chooses free agency, though, he looks to have a number of options at both guard and tackle, as of now. If Lang is placed at left tackle, New England’s Logan Mankins would make for an outstanding fit at left guard. He turns 28 in March, has been voted to two Pro Bowls and has started every game since being drafted in 2006. He’s equally good in run and pass blocking and could be to the Pack what Steve Hutchinson was to Minnesota – yeah, he’s that good. The Pats made interior o-line a priority of sorts in last year’s draft and might decide to let Mankins go, albeit as a restricted free agent. It might cost the Packers a first-and-third rounder (plus a new contract), but Mankins is absoultely worth it. San Francisco’s David Baas is a big boy at at 6-feet, 4-inches and 330 pounds, but is a solid starter who would provide some much-needed size and aggression (he’s a Michigan guy and Michigan always produces o-linemen with nasty dispositions). He’s restricted, too, and might cost a second-round pick. Not a bad price, though. At left tackle. Tampa Bay’s Donald Penn appears to be the best of the bunch. He doesn’t turn 26 until April and has done a very nice job on the bad Bucs’ teams of late (the Bucs’ struggles in recent years are likely the reason he doesn’t get as much pub as he should). Again, he’s equally solid in both areas and, while some concerns exist about his weight, he’d be a nice fit for the longterm. San Diego’s Marcus McNeill, 26, like Mankins, has also been to two Pro Bowls. At 6-feet, 7-inches and 336 pounds, he’s a throwback type of left tackle in the sense that he’s just a monster. He’s done a nice job protecting Phil Rivers’ blindside and we all know the numbers that Tomlinson guy was putting up for awhile there. Baltimore’s Jared Gaither is just 23 years old (he turns 24 in March) and has done a solid job, particularly in opening holes for Ray Rice. He’s a step down from Penn and McNeil, but would still be a nice fit. Same goes for New Orleans’ Jermon Bushrod, who has done a nice job replacing the injured Jammal Brown this season. He’ll turn 26 in August and likely has his best days ahead of him. Keep in mind that Penn, McNeill, Gaither and Bushrod are all set for restricted free agency also. Penn and McNeill will likely get the highest tenders (first-and-third round), Gaither is probably tendered at the first-round level and Bushrod is likely a second-round tender. A high price any way you cut it, but when you’re picking in the mid-20s, as Green Bay will be, you can definitely argue that any of these guys would provide more value than what the Packers would get in the draft.

2. Cornerback – This is not likely to be a place where Thompson makes a move in free agency, at least in terms of going after any big fish. Charles “Defensive Player of the Year” Woodson, Al Harris (make no mistake, he will be back in Green Bay next year) and Tramon Williams (if the Packers suck it up and pay him like I think they should) make for a formidable, and expensive, top three at the position. But clearly help is needed in terms of depth (we all saw the wild card game, after all). Jarett Bush stinks, Will Blackmon and Pat Lee are somewhat intriguing, but oft-injured and Brandon Underwood is an unknown. In my mind, the team needs at least two new corners who specialize in playing zone coverage in a 3-4 scheme. Thompson likely uses the draft to take at least one corner fairly high, but he should look to free agency for the other corner. You know who’d be a nice fit? San Francisco’s Dre Bly. Sure, he turns 33 in May, but he still had three picks and 13 passes defended last season in a 3-4 scheme. His age likely means he’d come fairly cheap and he’s unrestricted, meaning no compensation would have to be surrendered. Indianapolis’ Tim Jennings isn’t in a 3-4 – and he’s a bit small at just 5-feet, 8-inches - but he knows how to play the zone and recorded two picks and 10 passes defended for the Colts this season. He’s also unrestricted and just turned 26 years old, although he could cost a bit more. Finally, Philadelphia’s Ellis Hobbs might be coming off of neck surgery that caused him to miss more than half the season, but if he can fully heal up, he could provide a ton of value. He’s played in a 3-4 before (recording nine picks in his four years in New England) and has returned three kicks for touchdowns (we all know the Pack could use an actual return threat). He’ll be restricted if there’s no cap, but Philly might just let him walk coming off such an injury. He won’t turn 27 until May and would be worthy of a fairly cheap gamble. Hey, anything’s better than Bush.

Again, look for part two later today.

-Chris Lempesis