2014 Season Review
Expectations for the 2014 Packers were right around an 11-5 season with an NFC North title mixed in, but injuries along the way. Surprisingly, the Packers were very healthy last season with only Bryan Bulaga and Davon House missing any real time. Of course, Aaron Rodgers essentially played half the season on one leg, but still managed to win Most Valuable Player. Green Bay won 12 games this season with improvement on the defense and was good enough to come minutes away from a trip to Arizona.
It's tough to move on from an NFC Championship Game loss like the Green Bay Packers experienced. You'll always look back and think "What if...", reflecting on just one thing that could have changed the outcome of the game and sent Green Bay to Arizona for the Super Bowl. The heartbreaking loss can strengthen the locker room and give them motivation for next season, but making it back there all starts with having another strong offseason.
2015 Free Agents
Tramon Williams, Cornerback: Still a solid corner who has more good snaps in coverage than bad. Familiar with the defense but he will be 32 in March and Ted Thompson's routinely lets players walk as they enter their 30's.
B.J. Raji, Nose Tackle: After disappointing seasons in 2012 and '13, Raji returned to Green Bay on a one-year deal with a shift back to nose tackle. Unfortunately, a torn right biceps ended his season in August. Good candidate for another "prove-it" deal at a lesser rate this year.
Bryan Bulaga, Right Tackle: Bulaga's history of knee injuries will be the biggest hit on his free agent value. Was excellent last season at right tackle and will likely return to the Packers after a nice payday.
John Kuhn, Fullback: Like he did last year, Kuhn will check out the market and wind up returning to Green Bay on a one-year deal.
Randall Cobb, Wide Receiver: Green Bay's biggest free agent and the most uncertain future. Green Bay absolutely wants him back, but won't get into a bidding war with a team like the Oakland Raiders.
Davon House, Cornerback: House has battled shoulder injuries for a few years now but 6'1" cornerbacks with 32' inch arms are valuable. Expect him to be brought back by Ted Thompson.
Jarrett Bush, Cornerback: While Bush has drawn the ire of many fans for individual plays, a very bad special teams group can't lose a very good ST like Bush. Expect Bush back with the Packers.
Letroy Guion, Nose Tackle: Guion stepped up this season and was a positive contributor, who was likely to brought back. But his recent arrest in Florida clouds his future with the Packers.
Matt Flynn, Quarterback: Flynn's best success has come with the Packers but he is best served as an emergency off the street addition.
Scott Tolzien, Quarterback: Was activated late in the season when Rodgers health was iffy. If Green Bay doesn't believe he is ready to be a backup, he may not be brought back.
2015 Salary Cap
$24 million
-Could free up an additional $6 million by terminating Brad Jones and A.J. Hawk's contracts. Both moves are reasonable given Hawk taking pay cuts over the years and Jones declining play.
-Could free up an additional $6 million by restructuring Julius Peppers contract.
Five-Biggest Need Areas
Inside Linebacker: The Jones/Hawk experiment must come to an end, Green Bay is in desperate need for help at inside linebacker. While Clay Matthews impressed in his move their, he is better-suited to play on the outside and get after the quarterback, a job he likely enjoys more than playing inside. Green Bay needs someone like Eric Kendricks, who has outstanding instincts and a nose for the football. While some will have concerns about Kendricks size at 6'1", it could allow a first-round talent to slip to the 30th pick.
Nose Tackle: If Kendricks isn't available or Green Bay opts to find an inside linebacker later, another key need for this team is beefing up on the defensive line. No one knows if Raji can ever return to his impressive 2010-form and Guion could be facing a suspension. The dream scenario is landing 6'6" 334 lb. nose tackle Jordan Phillips who has the potential to be a perennial Pro Bowl player. If Phillips isn't the guy, Thompson can still look to improve on the defensive line and find a player to rotate with Datone Jones and allow for more rotations in-game.
Cornerback: In a realistic scenario where House is brought back on a multi-year deal and Williams is let go, Green Bay could still use more help in the secondary next season. House comes with some injury concerns and has still yet to prove he can be a starter on the outside and play well on a consistent basis. Sam Shields is solid on the outside but is best served as a No.2 and Casey Hayward is an exceptional slot corner. Adding another cornerback would help add more talent to a young, improving secondary and give them more options moving forward.
Right Tackle: If Bulaga is brought back then you can quickly cross this off the list and put adding a tight end in its place. But as of now, Green Bay is looking at J.C. Tretter as their starting right tackle and considering he will enter his third-season with just 60 snaps in the regular season. Given how well the offensive line played this year and the level of success it allowed Green Bay's offense to have, addressing right tackle would become a pressing need if Bulaga walks.
Wide Receiver: Like right tackle, wide receiver as a need could evaporate if Green Bay brings back Cobb. In that scenario, the competition between second-year wide receivers will be for the No.4 wide receiver position. Jarrett Boykin is a restricted free agent but after the implode year of 2014, he is unlikely to be brought back. If Cobb does leave, then you could see Thompson draft a wide receiver on Day 2 and find gold like he has so many times before.
Potential Offseason Breakout Star
Jeff Janis, Wide Receiver:
Wide receiver is certainly a need for the Packers if Cobb leaves, which is a likely scenario. If that situation arises and the front office and coaching staff decide they have enough confidence in young wide receivers on their roster, we could see Jeff Janis emerge as a big name this offseason.
There are plenty of traits to love about Janis–6'3" with a 4.42 40-time and outstanding leaping ability, he was incredibly productive at DII Saginaw Valley State. But he is still raw as a route-runner and had some issues with framing his hands to catch the football, things Green Bay's coaching staff certainly had to work on with him this season. Janis saw a handful of snaps in three games, just avoiding the "redshirt-type" rookie season a guy like LB Carl Bradford.
Janis could emerge as the early-favorite to replace Cobb in the slot next season. He would have plenty of time in OTA's and training camp to build chemistry with Rodgers and continue to clean up his route running and gain more confidence going over the middle. If he can earn that starting spot in the slot, Janis could be a major breakout wide receiver next season and join a well-recognized 2014 wide receiver class.
2015 NFL Draft Selections
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