Milwaukee Journal Sentinel - Packer Plus
Revamped unit ready to bring the heat
Pettine’s scheme should create lots of big plays
Green Bay — In a 3-4 base defense, the stars are often the linebackers, and the Green Bay Packers certainly hope that will prove to be the case.
General manager Brian Gutekunst spent millions on Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith and drafted Rashan Gary to bolster that unit, along with adding Ty Summers in the seventh round. A year ago Gutekunst drafted Oren Burks and Kendall Donnerson, and undrafted rookie James Crawford made the club. It’s a group the club has totally revamped in short order.
In defensive coordinator Mike Pettine’s scheme, versatility and excellent defensive line and secondary play matter of course — especially when safeties are moving into “hybrid” linebacker roles. Traditional “inside” and “outside” roles are also being blurred, so much so that there are no such designations on the Packers’ official roster.
But the high-profile additions will be, indeed, outside linebackers set around middle linebacker and defensive leader Blake Martinez. Outside of Gary, it’s an experienced group of players who will be counted on to produce splash plays and put constant pressure on opposing quarterbacks.
Linebackers
Roster locks: Oren Burks, Kyler Fackrell, Rashan Gary, Blake Martinez, Preston Smith, Za’Darius Smith.
Good bets: James Crawford, Reggie GIlbert.
On the bubble: Ty Summers, Kendall Donnerson, Brady Sheldon.
Long shots: Curtis Bolton, Randy Ramsey, Greg Roberts.
Biggest offseason move
Where to begin under this heading? Let’s start with free agency, where by average annual value of the contract, Za’Darius Smith is the third-highestpaid outside linebacker in the NFL – behind only former Defensive Players of the Year Khalil Mack and Von Miller. Then the Packers tossed some icing on that by adding Preston Smith, who is the sixth-highest paid outside linebacker in the league, per the salary tracking website www.spotrac.com. Let’s finish with the draft, as the Packers added Gary with the No. 12 overall selection. In order to facilitate these moves, the team let Clay Matthews go via free agency and cut Nick Perry.
It was a total renovation of the outside linebacker position in an effort to bring not just more youth (and health) to the group but also flexibility. These three are not just typical “edge” rushers – they will be used at times along the defensive line and rushing from the interior. As of now, it’s impossible to call one of these bigger than the other, as these five moves in total were no doubt the splashiest regarding player movement in 2019.
Position battle
The starters are set with the new acquisitions on the outside and Martinez commanding the middle. Burks looks ready to assume that other inside linebacking spot. Even the “first off the
bench” rotational guys are set with not just Gary, but the team leader in sacks last year Kyler Fackrell and solid backups in Crawford and Gilbert. Last year Gutekunst and Pettine settled on nine total linebackers, a number he has been comfortable with in the past in New York and Cleveland. Pettine once kept six in Buffalo but he had eight in his two years running the Browns. So for those final spots, it could come down to some of the physical specimens the team has in recent draft picks Donnerson and Summers, along with third-year pro Sheldon. Special teams will matter, but those guys may have the initial leg up on the rest due to their draft standing and athletic ability.
Keep an eye on
How well James Crawford performs at either inside linebacker or middle linebacker. Gutekunst has been high on the undrafted free agent out of Illinois since last year, and Pettine has settled Crawford into the inside linebacker role. And, in 2019, Crawford will likely make his biggest impact on special teams for the second straight year. But his development and ability to call the defense behind Martinez is important for a big reason – Martinez’s looming free agency. It’s impossible to pay everybody and Martinez could prove too costly. It’s important for the Packers to continue to develop low-salaried starters or contributors while they allocate high dollars elsewhere.
Key question
Are Preston Smith and Za’Darius Smith ready for prime time? It’s one thing to get the contract and an immediate place in the locker room and depth chart. It’s a whole other to handle specific game plans for you and, within that, perform up to those contracts. On one hand, if the two simply replicate their 2018 sack totals – 81⁄2 for Za’Darius Smith and 4 for Preston Smith – it’s a net improvement of 71⁄2 over the combo of Perry and Matthews from a year ago. But in reality, those two will be judged against the combined $118 million they signed for in March – and 121⁄2 combined sacks won’t quite cut it for many. The club has already preached that pressures and “affecting the quarterback” mean more than raw sack totals, and if those pressures result in interceptions or sacks for teammates all will be well. But the spotlight will definitely be on the pair like never before once Sept. 5 rolls around.
Prediction
Burks opens up the defense. There are few “wild cards” with this linebacking group, as it has been fortified with two free agents who have years of production that justified their signings. Martinez, Fackrell and Gilbert are wellknown quantities in the building. Then there’s Gary, a man of immense talent but in need of development. Enter Burks, the second-year inside linebacker. A freakish shoulder injury during warmups in the preseason slowed his 2018 progress and he has played catchup ever since. After a season getting used to the NFL and a full offseason to train, Burks seems primed to excel. There is little pressure to make sacks. Martinez is handling the play-calling duties. Burks should be free to master the scheme enough to use his 4.59-second speed and 233-pound frame to cover tight ends and running backs, which will allow Pettine to get creative.