Packers 2018 roster prediction: Cornerback room gets 6 players

Reggie White Jersey White , including 2 new faces Welcome to the prediction section of the offseason. Over two weeks, Acme Packing Company will present our overall roster predictions for the Green Bay Packers’ season-opening 53-man roster. Today, we continue with the Packers’ cornerbacks.Last season, the Packers defense allowed a passer rating of 102, which was 31st overall in the entire league. It was heartbreaking to watch. The only team who ranked worse was Cleveland Browns, and that was by a very slim margin (102.2). The Packers were also sixth-worst in 20+ yards passes allowed (55), third in completion percentage allowed (67.8%), and third in yards per completion allowed (7.9).Now, those terrible, horrible, no good, very bad defensive passing stats aren’t solely the secondary’s fault. A lack of a consistent pass rush and a poor defensive scheme didn’t help. This is a new season with new potential for the Packers and their cornerbacks. Mike Pettine was brought in to coach up the defense, new rookie corners were drafted, and a familiar face was brought back to add a veteran presence. The APC staff made a prediction for six corners to make the final 53-man roster. We’re expected to see a lot of nickel formations so keeping a healthy number of corners on the roster is essential. Starters: Kevin King, Tramon Williams, Jaire AlexanderBefore injuries sidelined Kevin King http://www.packerslockerroom.com/authentic-antonio-morrison-jersey , there were signs of him becoming a legitimate WR1 cover-man — most notably early last season when he matched up against Julio Jones and was trusted to defend A.J. Green. King is a 6’3,” athletic corner who’s not afraid to stick his nose in on run support. Despite being sidelined with a shoulder injury, hopefully he’s still absorbed enough to make a second-year leap.The aforementioned familiar face coming back to Green Bay is Tramon Williams. At age 35, Williams is coming back to Green Bay as a veteran presence after spending the past three seasons split between Cleveland and Arizona. During his eight years with the Pack, Williams collected 28 interceptions and was a vital cog to the pass defense that helped produce a Super Bowl. Pettine is already gushing about how valuable Williams is to the cornerback room:Rookie Jaire Alexander will be the third starting corner according to the APC staff predictions. Taking a position in the slot will be a good role for the young corner considering his size (5’10,” 196 lbs.) and his speed to keep up with shifty slot wide outs. While there were instances at Louisville where Alexander would get beat, a more disciplined approach will allow him to display his great ball skills more frequently. This will be a departure from last year’s combo of Damarious Randall (717 snaps), Davon House (659 snaps) and Josh Hawkins (403 snaps) getting the lion’s share of the cornerback snaps for the Packer D. Actually writing that out makes me feel like it can only get better.Reserves: Josh Jackson, Lenzy Pipkins, and Davon HouseJosh Jackson was the second rookie the Packers drafted following Alexander. In several mock drafts leading up to the draft, several had Jackson going in the first-round to the Packers at the 14th pick. Jackson has the size and nose for takeaways to develop into another boundary corner that could eventually take over for Williams. During his last season at Iowa, Jackson grabbed eight interceptions and displayed big play potential. Jackson didn’t run well at the Combine, but apparently showed 4.4 speed at the Hawkeyes’ Pro Day. It’ll be exciting to see if Jackson can move into the starting lineup if he starts the season as a reserve. Full disclosure, Lenzy Pipkins is an APC favorite. An undrafted free agent, Pipkins only started one game in Week 17, but his willingness to tackle during his limited playing time was endearing to fans who were looking for some life out of the injury-ravaged secondary. Pipkins can play inside and out Geronimo Allison Jersey White , so that versatility should help his chances to make the final 53.Davon House is another corner who left northeast Wisconsin and eventually came back home. He spent 2015 and 2016 in Jacksonville before coming back to Green Bay last season on a one-year deal. The Packers decided to lock House back into another one-year deal this season prior to drafting two rookie corners. House was on the field for 12 games last season and managed to defend 6 passes during that time. Released: Herb Waters, Donatello Brown, Josh Hawkins, Demetri Goodson, Quentin RollinsRollins played 139 snaps last season and is the remaining corner from the 2015 draft that saw Randall and Rollins picked in back-to-back rounds by the Packers. Looks like the APC staff is projecting that that experiment is over. Waters has speed to develop into something and Hawkins put in a lot of snaps last season, but they’re predicted to be on the outside looking in. Having two rookies at this position pushes a lot of players off the 53-man roster, but the cornerback position was in dire need of a revamp. Taking two swings at getting a starting-level corner from this past draft and a full Kevin King season is an upgrade from last year. It’ll be exciting to see what an infusion of new blood can do to impact the whole defense. In a pivotal year for the Packers front office, these moves would help the Packers maximize improvement while preserving their long-term outlook."WhiteFanposts Fanshots Sections The APC PodcastPackers Film RoomFantasy Football Adviceoutlook.CSTShareTweetShareShareWhat does a perfect 2019 Packers offseason look like? Signing Adrian Amos won’t have the sexiness of landing Earl Thomas, but for the money it’s a better option for the Packers. Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY SportsBrian Gutekunst has it all this offseason. A new coach, cap space, and a hoard of draft capital to put the Packers squarely back into playoff contention and competing for Super Bowls. With free agency days away and the draft rapidly approaching, we examine where the value might be in play addition, what it would cost, and how best to approach building this roster for 2019 and beyond. Aaron Rodgers’ mega-deal doesn’t hamstring the Packers as much as has been said and there are a couple moves Green Bay can make to free up even more money to spend if they so choose. The idea is to create a likely scenario, not just play Madden. With that in mind, here is one way to craft the offseason to maximize value and team improvement. Cut Nick Perry with a post-June 1 designation While this doesn’t save the Packers in the short-term for free agency Montravius Adams Jersey , it frees up considerable cap in 2019 and 2020 which would help them sign their draft class and the Bashaud Breeland type free agents. More on Breeland to come. The money for his roster bonus wouldn’t come off until June 2nd, but that alone is $4.8 million in relief. All in, the Packers would save $10.7 million with $4 million in dead cap for 2019 and $6.9 million in 2020 when the Packers will have gobs of cash to spend even without this move. Cut Tramon Williams This has more immediately salary cap relief implications for the Packers. The soon-to-be-36-year-old Williams has a cap hit of just under $6.4 million in 2019 but would save the Packers $4.7 million this offseason. That’s enough to pay a legitimate starting-caliber player, like say a former starting cornerback forced to take the veteran minimum after a bizarre injury scuttled a free-agent contract.Re-sign Bashaud Breeland for three years, $18 million Before an infection in his foot voided the deal, Breeland signed a three-year, $24 million contract with the Panthers. Breeland joined the Packers on a minimum deal to rehabilitate his value and struggled with new injuries, a problem that hadn’t cropped up in Washington. But given that rocky season and another year of age on his body, Breeland can’t rightly demand the full $8 million APY he got in free agency a year ago.That said, he showed enough to be a starting-caliber player for the Packers, making splash plays when he was on the field. He’d be a stabilizing force in a secondary full of young players and wouldn’t cost much. They’re basically trading Breeland for Williams and an extra million dollars. That’s a huge win for the Packers. Sign Anthony Barr for four years, $56 million The case for this contract is simple: top-of-market linebacker money even just for Anthony Barr the off-ball linebacker would be in the $10 million to $12 million range. He can’t command a top 3-4 OLB contract because we haven’t seen him full-time pass rush since UCLA. If his floor is a Pro Bowl jack-of-all-trades linebacker, this contract is only a slight overpay. The additional $2 million to $4 million is paying for that rush upside. More on why that makes sense here. Before the Perry cut, the Packers have roughly $34 million in cap space for this offseason. After the $14 million APY here (and they can play with the numbers as needed), they’d be down to $20 million. Sign Adrian Amos for four years, $32 million Four years is the window. That’s how long the Packers have Aaron Rodgers under his mega-deal and that’s the likely minimum number of seasons he’ll be the starter barring major injury. Amos turns 26 next month Aaron Ripkowski Jersey White , which means he’ll be 30 when this deal is over, putting it in the prime of his career. Overshadowed by rising star Eddie Jackson in Chicago, Amos brings the right skill set to play deep or in the box for the Packers in Mike Pettine’s amoeba defense. The Bears may have to let him walk if they decide to pay Bryce Callahan and Amos isn’t considered in the realm of top-of-market safeties like Landon Collins or Earl Thomas, even if he probably should be. Shave another $8 million off the cap space, leaving the Packers with $12 million left. Sign guard Quinton Spain for four years, $16 million Mark Glowinski re-signed with the Colts for $6 million APY, which sets the non-Rodger Saffold market. Spain played for Matt LaFleur last year in Tennessee, is just 28, and could come in to start at either guard spot for the Packers. He sits in that sweet spot of not overpaying for a name like Saffold but has clear value beyond the James Carpenter’s of the free agent class. This would leave a little less than $7 million under the cap, with Perry’s money set to come off the books in June. Plenty of money to sign the draft class and still have a rainy day fund. Draft Montez Sweat at No. 12 overallMaybe this is cheating a little after the combine where Sweat put together an all-time performance with athletic testing. If he’s there, it’s a no-brainer. If he’s not, Clelin Ferrell provides more than enough value to justify his selection, as does Brian Burns, setting up the Packers to address their one remaining glaring need for a pure pass rusher. Signing Barr would also make it easier to let a player like Burns develop his body and technique without having to play 90 percent of snaps right away.Draft Chris Lindstrom at No. 30 overallLindstrom can play guard or tackle making him the kind of swing offensive lineman the Packers love. After testing as an elite athlete, with experience at tackle and guard, Lindstrom fits the profile for this front office to the letter. If Bryan Bulaga has to miss games Womens Jermaine Whitehead Jersey , Lindstrom slots in at right tackle, with the chance to be the successor. If Lane Taylor or Spain get hurt, Lindstrom can handle their role as well. Rush the quarterback and protect your own; no two tenants of the game are more important. Draft Irv Smith Jr. at No. 44 overallFrankly, the 20-year-old Alabama tight end would be a fine value at 30, despite measuring smaller at the combine than many anticipated. He still ran 4.6 and his agility testing belies the fluidity he shows in games. More importantly, he can block. Even if he’s relegated to a glorified H-Back role, that has more value for the Packers than most teams because of Matt LaFleur’s offense. Smith offers the perfect upside opportunity to take on a secondary role in 2019 as he grows into the NFL game, before taking over in 2020 once Jimmy Graham is out of the picture. Trade up to draft Juan Thornhill at No. 58 overallThere’s a clear cut off around the top-50 of players capable of impacting games, not just in this class, but historically speaking. Someone will fall, they always do. Green Bay can package the 75th pick with both fourth-round selections to sneak back into the second to grab a player like Thornhill. He’s the platonic ideal of a big nickel safety who can cover, play deep, and defend the run. Virginia even played him at cornerback in a pinch and though his outstanding athletic ability didn’t consistently show up in college, the Packers should trust Mike Pettine to maximize him.