Around the North w/ Bretl: Losing Adams, GB’s Defensive Depth, and Predicting the Division

Kirk Cousins / Aaron Rodgers
Sep 15, 2019; Green Bay, WI, USA; Minnesota Vikings quarterback Kirk Cousins (8) greets Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) on the field following the game at Lambeau Field. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

If things go as anticipated, the Lions and Bears will be battling for third in the NFC North. Meanwhile, the Vikings and Packers will be taking their shot at the division. Green Bay, without question, is the clear-cut favorite. Does Minnesota have what it takes to overcome their rival?

Previously, the Around the North interview series has featured great insight from Lester Wiltfong Jr. and Jeremy Reisman. Now, we have Paul Bretl – who is on Twitter – from Dairyland Express and Cheesehead TV offering his expertise. He offers some great insight on the Packers. As per usual, my questions are listed first and in bold. His answers are included below.

Enjoy!

1) To my mind, the Packers are still the clear frontrunner for the NFC North. That being said, it’s hard to see how they’ve improved during the offseason. Has Green Bay failed to replace Davante Adams, potentially setting their offense up for a decent step back?*

The Packers were never going to replace Davante Adams—that’s a nearly impossible task. So naturally, the receiver room isn’t going to be as good, but other aspects of the roster can hopefully mitigate Adams’ absence. 

Aaron Rodgers is a four-time MVP and Matt LaFleur is very good at scheming players into open space, so it will be up to these two to elevate the receiver position—which they are both very capable of doing. It’s also important to note that under LaFleur, this isn’t the old five-wide Packers offense. The running backs and tight ends are key contributors in the passing game as well.

In the backfield is potentially the best running back duo in football while the offensive line should improve as well, based solely on getting healthy and the experience gained last season by Jon Runyan, Josh Myers, and Royce Newman. We also can’t forget the defense, who on paper, could be a top-5 unit in football. 

So is the offense better without Adams? Of course not. Green Bay is going to have to operate a bit differently than in years past. But with the players — and coaches — that they have, they can still be very effective. 

2) What can we expect to see from the Packers pass rush in 2022? Preston Smith and Rashan Gary both played well last season, but would it be fair to say that their play in the years beforehand weren’t as strong? Was moving on from Za’Darius Smith the right call?

Preston Smith and Rashan Gary both finished last season ranked in the top-10 in pressures, according to PFF, with Gary, specifically, looking like a potential star in the making.

Last season was Gary’s first as a true full-time starter, so while it’s technically true his previous seasons weren’t as good, the opportunity wasn’t there either. Instead, Green Bay chose to bring him along slowly behind the Smiths and it’s a move that is paying off. P. Smith did have a down 2020 season but that was sandwiched in between two productive years. 

The starters who make up the Packers’ pass rush should be stout, especially with Kenny Clark inside and the deepest interior defensive line group the Packers have had in years. But a concern is the edge rusher depth. There was a lack of impact plays in 2021 when Smith and Gary weren’t on the field and those questions still remain. Edge is a very heavily rotated position, which puts an emphasis on depth.

With Za’Darius, I think it largely came down to you can’t pay everybody. His cap hit in 2022 with Green Bay was around $28 million, so he was never going to play out this season on that deal–he was either going to be released or extended. In the end, the Packers chose the ascending Gary as well as Preston Smith, who was healthy and had a very good season, both against the run and the pass. 

3) Overall, what’s your assessment of Green Bay’s opening two rounds in the draft? Going back-to-back defense in RD1 was certainly a surprise (at least from the outside looking in). What did you make of the deal with Minnesota to hop up for Christian Watson?

Everyone thought receiver was the play, but the right player wasn’t available. Drake London and Garrett Wilson went quickly, while I’m not sure that moving up for Chris Olave or Jameson Williams was an option. Although Washington did trade back, they still took a receiver at 16. So were they willing to drop back to pick 22? I’m not so sure. Also, was Minnesota willing to let the Packers move up for Williams? We may never know but it’s entirely possible they didn’t want to do that.

So instead, the Packers chose to address two of the biggest weaknesses on the defensive side of the ball—the interior defensive line depth and the second linebacker position. As I mentioned above, the Packers are going to look a bit different this season in how they go about winning games, and with those first two picks, they gave themselves the opportunity to have a very good defense, who they can now lean on more than what they traditionally have. 

Devonte Wyatt gives the Packers additional help against both the run and the pass, while also freeing them up to move Clark around more in search of one-on-one matchups. Wyatt may not always fill the stat sheet, but when you have an athletic presence in the middle eating up space and taking on double-teams the entire defense benefits from that–specifically the front seven, who is now more freed up. With Quay Walker, Green Bay will be able to stay in their base nickel defense more this season. Last year, they could get a bit predictable at times. When linebacker Krys Barnes was on the field, the Packers were likely playing the run. And when safety Henry Black was out there, they were playing the pass. But with Walker and De’Vondre Campbell, both of whom can play the run and the pass well, it’s going to be more challenging for offenses to figure out what Green Bay is doing.

With Watson, I know the draft trade value charts say the Vikings got more than the Packers, but I’m okay with that. I’m not going to pretend like I know if Watson will be good or not, but the process of moving up to get the guy you really want instead of being passive and hoping he falls to you is something I can absolutely get on board with. 

Right away, Watson provides this offense with a needed vertical threat, a motion man and gadget player with that speed of his, and a potential kick returner. Can he be the guy who gets the Packers six yards on third and five? That remains to be seen. 

4) Fill in the blanks. The best offseason decision for the Packers was: __________. The worst offseason decision for the Packers was: __________.

Best: finding a way to keep Aaron Rodgers. 
Worst: not doing more to address the edge depth.

I’m sure some are wondering why Adams isn’t on here under the “worst” category, but in short, he didn’t want to be in Green Bay. The Packers offered more money and he chose Las Vegas. So to me, there was no decision made by the Packers—it was Adams who decided. 

For the reasons mentioned already, I do believe that addressing the edge rusher depth was a missed opportunity–although they still have time to explore free agency. As far as why I didn’t pick receiver, well, they did add to it quite a bit (Sammy Watkins, Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, and Samori Toure) and as I previously discussed, I do think this team is built well enough overall to absorb any deficiencies that may arise at the position. They do have Aaron Rodgers, after all–not to mention that not every position group is going to be great. 

5) Finally, can I get an NFC North prediction from you? Which team wins the division and why do they win?

The Packers. They are the most talented and well round team in the division with the best quarterback by far.

With our thanks for agreeing to this interview. Where can readers find you?

You can find me on Twitter @Paul_Bretl along with all of my work at Dairyland Express and Cheesehead TV. Also, subscribe to my YouTube page—Paul Bretl

* Initially, I included a dumb line about losing Corey Linsley, who actually departed during the previous offseason. That’s my bad, folks. Mr. Bretl graciously pointed out my error before providing the excellent response.

Editor’s Note: Purple PTSD extends a sincere thanks to Mr. Bretl for taking the time for this interview.

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