Green Bay Packers: 5 offseason needs

The Green Bay Packers have some work to do this offseason. Here are their five biggest needs.

Despite an appearance in the NFC Championship game, the Green Bay Packers have to be feeling fairly sour about their 2016 season. Only a late season run kept them from missing the playoffs. Even though quarterback Aaron Rodgers had one of his finest seasons as a pro, he’s 33 years old.

Traditionally, the Packers have been quiet in free agency. However, in recent years, perhaps motivated by Rodgers starting to get up there in age, they’ve been a bit more aggressive. Don’t expect this to change this offseason. The Packers have some offseason holes to fill if they want to help Rodgers win his second Super Bowl. Moreover, they’ll have over $40 million of cap space to play with. Here are their five biggest needs entering the 2017 offseason.

5. Tight End

The Green Bay Packers didn’t get too much out of their tight ends in 2016. Jared Cook was supposed to make a huge impact but he had just 377 receiving yards in 10 games (five starts). Richard Rodgers is a good blocker, but isn’t much of a receiver (271 yards in 16 games). In order to optimize their offense, Green Bay has to pursue a tight end who can make plays.

With a lot of cap space, they could pursue Super Bowl champion Martellus Bennett. However, the Packers have other needs, so maybe splurging on a tight end isn’t the best idea. Jack Doyle of the Indianapolis Colts could be a solid addition. He’s more than just a receiver, as he’s a pretty good blocker as well. Re-signing Cook could work as well, depending on his price. Look for the Packers to go relatively cheap here, though maybe they go for a home run signing, especially if they can clear some more cap space.