3 trades Packers have to make to get Aaron Rodgers to a Super Bowl
By Joe Romano
1. Emmanuel Ogbah for 2022 6th Round Pick
Probably expected to see Brandin Cooks in this spot. Unfortunately, the Packers are not the type of team that makes those splash moves so that looks unlikely. Throwing that on top of the fact that Cooks counts for $15.5 million on the cap and the Packers are tight on space, which makes the marriage between the two unlikely.
Let’s move on to a realistic option for Green Bay and that is Miami Dolphins defensive end Emmanuel Ogbah. One of the few Dolphins defenders living up to the teams’ successful unit’s 2021 status. Ogbah is a heavy-handed defensive end that allows defensive coordinators to get creative with his alignment. At 270 pounds he could pop in and replace the struggling Kingsley Keke as the five-technique in the Packers’ base 3-4 defense.
Green Bay has already tried to re-make their defense on the fringes during the season. First it was the signing of former Dallas Cowboys linebacker Jaylon Smith. Then they signed pass rusher Whitney Mercilus after the Texans let the veteran pass-rusher walk.
Now they can turn their eyes to the defensive front. The aforementioned Keke and Dean Lowry make up those five techniques for Green Bay. Neither of them has played well this season which is a big reason the Packers rank towards the bottom of the league in defending against the run. Bringing in Ogbah who has shown success as both an edge setting outside end and hybrid run defender, could do wonders for the Packers.