2023 proved to be a successful season for the inexperienced Green Bay Packers. They earned a playoff berth, advanced to the NFC Playoffs’ second round, and concluded the season with a 9-8 record.
The Packers are really optimistic about 2024 after the way they concluded. For the Packers, this off-season will be very important. They’ll have to strengthen important roles. The first position on the list of ones that has to get better will be safety for the Green Bay Packers.
It’s Critical to Strengthen the Green Bay Packers’ Safety Position This Off-Season
The Green Bay Packers’ safety position was one of their most obvious deficiencies in 2023, as we have already documented.
Even though general manager Brian Gutekunst performed admirably in the 2023 NFL Draft, it was a mistake for him to hold off on upgrading the safety position. He is quite unlikely to do the same error in the off-season.
Gutekunst’s improvement of safety will be crucial for Jeff Hafley, the new defensive coordinator. Hafley is going to use a different 4-3 defensive plan. With the exception of inside linebacker, safety may be the most crucial position in Hafley’s offensive strategy.
The Packers safety position looks to be in for a significant upheaval. Rudy Ford, Jonathan Owens, and Darnell Savage Jr., the top three safeties for the Packers in the previous campaign, will all be unrestricted free agents this offseason. The likelihood that none of the three will return is very high.
This off-season, Gutekunst will have to employ every tool in his arsenal to restock the safety position. That entails making at least one (maybe even two) safety selections in the NFL Draft and shopping around in NFL Free Agency.
NFL Draft
The outlook for safety in 2023 was deemed subpar. Sadly for Gutekunst and the Packers, this year’s class appears to be fairly similar. Mel Kiper of ESPN does not have a single safety with a first-round grade in his most recent rankings.
However, that does not exclude the Packers from selecting a safety who can make an impact in their first year. Some people believe that Tyler Nubin of Minnesota, Kiper’s top safety, might be selected in the second round.
At 6’1′′ and 199 pounds, Nubin is a solid player who showed big-play potential while attending Minnesota. Perhaps his greatest flaw is his quickness.
However, he might make an immediate impact if he is paired with an experienced safety and placed in the correct system.
Although Kamren Kinchens is 5’11” and 203 pounds, he is not as large as Nubin, but he is comparable to Nubin in terms of playmaking.
He is ranked as Kiper’s second-best safety prospect. Jaden Hicks of Washington State is another possibility that may be available in the latter rounds. Hicks, who is 6’3″, adds more bulk to the role. Despite being taller than most safeties, he can still cover a lot of territory.
Cooper DeJean of Iowa is one player to watch. DeJean was a standout at cornerback for Iowa. Although a lot of people think that his skill set would be better suited as a cornerback in the NFL, he is big enough (6’0′′, 203 pounds) to play safety.
Hafley might use DeJean in the same way the Packers used to use Charles Woodson if he gets very inventive. DeJean is capable of playing both the boundary and the slot, something the Packers will need in 2024.
In his last season at Iowa, he had an injury that ended his season. That may make him accessible when the Packers are running out of time in the first round.
Free Agency
We don’t think the Packers will be significant players in the free agency market. That doesn’t mean, though, that Gutekunst won’t look around for a seasoned free agent that fits his budget. The Packers will need to be frugal with their spending since they don’t have much salary cap room.
Nonetheless, the safety position is one where Gutekunst may invest a little extra time. Gutekunst will have a good pool of players to choose from if he chooses to invest on a seasoned free-agent safety. There are a few guys in this year’s safety-free agent pool that might improve the defensive core of the Green Bay Packers.
Many organizations could be wary about former Denver Broncos safety Justin Simmons due to his age of thirty. However, Simmons would be a fantastic addition to a youthful secondary if you can get over his age. Three of Simmons’ 30 career interceptions came during the previous campaign.
Packers supporters should take note of the availability of another seasoned free agency safety. The Packers were where Micah Hyde played his first four seasons.
He was miscast as a cornerback during that period. Ted Thompson, the former general manager, erred in letting him go as a free agent. The Buffalo Bills signed him, and he started at safety right away.
During his seven seasons with the Bills, Hyde had sixteen interceptions. The Bills parted company with him as a result of his injury problems over the last two seasons. He might also be a valuable experienced presence for Hafley’s defense if he can maintain his health.
The ideal situation for the Packers would be to add a seasoned safety to complement a young safety. It would be a significant improvement over the collection of Packers safeties they had last season if they could add Simmons or Hyde.