During the first day of the NFL Scouting Combine last year, Green Bay Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst sung the praises of the team’s young wide receivers, gushing excitement about the potential of Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Equanimeous St. Brown and J’Mon Moore going into the 2019 season.
In the coming months, Gutekunst opted against adding a receiver in free agency and the draft. The plan at receiver backfired. Valdes-Scantling disappeared during the second half of the season, St. Brown missed the entire season with an ankle injury and Moore was released during final cuts, leaving the cupboard mostly bare behind Pro Bowler Davante Adams.
A year later, receiver is a great and immediate need.
Gutekunst and the Packers can’t make the same mistake at inside linebacker this offseason.
On Tuesday, Gutekunst spoke glowingly about Oren Burks, Ty Summers and Curtis Bolton. He praised the potential of Burks, a third-round pick in 2018, and the development of Summers and Bolton. It was a flashback of sorts to Gutekunst’s confidence in the receiver position in 2019.
To be fair, Gutekunst labeled the position as “in flux” and “evolving,” and there’s a sense everyone in Green Bay knows starter Blake Martinez is leaving in free agency. One way or another, changes are coming at inside linebacker.
But like receiver last year, the Packers can’t bank on internal improvement from long shots without adding legitimate help in free agency, the draft or both.
Burks looks like the prototypical inside linebacker, with good size and athleticism and a background as a safety. Gutekunst likes his potential, which is understandable after he traded up in the third round to get him during his first draft. But there’s just no evidence from Burks’ first two seasons in the NFL that he’s ready to take on a starting role. Banking on him emerging as a starter in 2020 is risky at best and reckless at worst.
Summers and Bolton could develop into role players, but neither is guaranteed to be anything more than a backup and special teamer.
Gutekunst might like the returning players at inside linebacker, but there’s a good chance he needs to find two starting-caliber players at the position this offseason, especially if Martinez leaves.
Inside linebacker is arguably the biggest hole on the roster. It hasn’t always been a priority position for the Packers, with both Gutekunst and former general manager Ted Thompson usually opting to patch the hole rather than invest major resources to fully fix it.
The Packers can probably patch it again and get by in 2020. But Mike Pettine’s defense will never, ever become one of the league’s best without a bigger and better presence in the middle of the field, both against the run and in coverage. In 2019, good teams often ran over the Packers or exposed their coverage in the middle of the field. The deficiencies at inside linebacker were a big reason why.
Will Gutekunst and the Packers gloss over the inside linebacker position like they did at receiver in 2019, or will they learn from their mistake and attack the issue like they did at safety and edge rusher, investing resources to fix the problem? The next two months will provide the answer.