Should Green Bay Sign Ahmad Brooks?
Green Bay Packers general manager Ted Thompson says to the media on a frequent basis, “We evaluate everybody.” Referring to players who get cut especially those who are a little more high-profile than others. Ahmad Brooks, the former San Francisco 49er, fits that profile. Green Bay brought the veteran in for a visit yesterday or today to help the Packers with their sudden pass rush issues. But the question remains is Brooks a player that still has gas in the tank at linebacker plus is he worth the off-the-field baggage that comes with him.
Brooks played left outside linebacker for San Francisco last season. He had a decent year for the lowly 49ers with six sacks, 41 tackles, one forced fumble and four pass deflections. He would give the Packers another option at pass rusher, which is something they desperately need with the injuries to Nick Perry and Jayrone Elliott. Green Bay is lacking there, and from the experts, it appears the former Virginia standout graded out last year similar to Julius Peppers. If that’s the case, Brooks is probably worth an addition. Peppers didn’t have a great season, but he found a way to stand out in a variety of games all year.
I did 3-4 OLBs for #NFL1000 last year. Ahmad Brooks graded out just below Julius Peppers.
— Zach Kruse (@zachkruse2) August 27, 2017
Even though he matches up with Peppers, the former Pro Bowler carries some baggage as well. He has an open case with the NFL spanning back to 2015 regarding a sexual battery case towards a woman. He also got accused of hitting a woman in 2008. Now, Letroy Guion’s issues with women and drugs were not a problem for the team, yet he did not have an open case against him. That’s where you are wading in dangerous territory when it comes to signing him. It’s utterly pointless to bring Brooks on if he’s getting suspended for four weeks.
Seems as though the league is still monitoring Brooks' case, and could revisit it at any time. From the NFL at the start of the 2015 season pic.twitter.com/Z1GFuwZvKs
— Aaron Nagler (@AaronNagler) August 27, 2017
We’ll see what Packers do as they could certainly use the help although the headache might not be worth it.
Charlie.