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The cards are aligning perfectly for the Green Bay Packers to defy their typical tendencies and make a free-agency splash.
On Thursday morning, the Denver Broncos cut All-Pro safety Justin Simmons in a cap-clearing move. He joins Jordan Poyer, Quandre Diggs, and Jamal Adams among the position’s Pro Bowl players released this week.
ESPN analyst Mina Kimes encouraged the Packers to sign a safety this offseason.
“The Packers aren’t usually big players in free agency (and haven’t had cap space until now) but boy…they really ought to grab one of these safeties,” Kimes wrote on Thursday.
The free-agent class already contained several notable names before the recent slew of cuts. Xavier McKinney, Jordan Whitehead, DeShon Elliott, and Geno Stone are among the top safeties on the open market.
The Tampa Bay Buccaneers used the franchise tag on Antoine Winfield, and the New England Patriots transition tagged Kyle Dugger.
Green Bay could lose Darnell Savage, who started 10 games last season. That would further depreciate a secondary that traded cornerback Rasul Douglas to the Buffalo Bills before the mid-season trade deadline.
A young Packers squad set the table for a bright future by making the playoffs in Jordan Love’s first season replacing Aaron Rodgers under center. They stunned the Dallas Cowboys with a 48-32 first-round victory at AT&T Stadium.
However, Green Bay finished the regular season 28th in rushing defense and allowed a 94.7 opposing passer rating. Some defensive additions can help the Packers solidify their status as credible NFC contenders in 2024.