Fansided

NFL free agency 2019: Grades for every team

By Kevin Parvizi

PHILADELPHIA, PA - NOVEMBER 25: Odell Beckham #13 of the New York Giants yells prior to the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on November 25, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images)
PHILADELPHIA, PA - NOVEMBER 25: Odell Beckham #13 of the New York Giants yells prior to the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lincoln Financial Field on November 25, 2018 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. (Photo by Mitchell Leff/Getty Images) /
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CHICAGO, IL – NOVEMBER 18: Adrian Amos #38 of the Chicago Bears returns an interception against the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field on November 18, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. The Bears defeated the Vikings 25-20. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images)
CHICAGO, IL – NOVEMBER 18: Adrian Amos #38 of the Chicago Bears returns an interception against the Minnesota Vikings at Soldier Field on November 18, 2018 in Chicago, Illinois. The Bears defeated the Vikings 25-20. (Photo by Jonathan Daniel/Getty Images) /

Green Bay Packers

Key Additions: EDGE Za’Darius Smith, S Adrian Amos, EDGE Preston Smith, OL Billy Turner

Key Departures: DL Muhammad Wilkerson, EDGE Clay Matthews, EDGE Nick Perry, WR Randall Cobb, ILB Jake Ryan, CB Bashaud Breeland

Grade: A

My goodness did the Green Bay Packers have a strong free agency. It feels like an end of an era in Wisconsin with the likes of Clay Matthews, Randall Cobb, and even Nick Perry moving on, but these were all necessary changes. General manager Brian Gutekunst has a clear vision for where he wants the Packers to go, and parting ways with underperforming, aging players like Cobb, Wilkerson, and Breeland had to happen.

The Packers brought in some high-impact players at critical positions, too. The pass rushing duo of Preston Smith and Za’Darius Smith will end up being one of the NFL’s best. These two men have produced at a high level consistently throughout their careers, with Za’Darius Smith being overshadowed by Terrell Suggs in Baltimore and Preston Smith being overshadowed by Ryan Kerrigan in Washington. At Green Bay, the two will work synergistically to give the Packers their best pass rush in ages.

Adrian Amos is the polar opposite of former safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix, traded to Washington during last season after drawing the ire of the fan base, and that’s the best possible thing for Green Bay. He’s consistent on a snap-to-snap basis and just might be one of the best overall safeties in the league, even if the likes of Earl Thomas, Eric Weddle, Tyrann Mathieu, and high-priced Washington signing Landon Collins took the spotlight in free agency this year.

After firing Mike McCarthy, the Packers are finally moving forward, and there should be plenty of optimism around the whole organization. The Packers can now focus on building up the skill position players around Aaron Rodgers, who will hopefully be happier in 2019, in the draft.

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