On Thursday, ESPN’s Bill Barnwell gave out his rankings for the offseason. It is not a surprise to me to see Green Bay towards the bottom. Packers rank 27th out of 32 teams. Many people did not like what Green Bay did this offseason. And I do think that will play into how people predict the Packers for the upcoming 2020 season. Was Packers offseason that bad? Or did Barnwell not have the full story? While I have respect for Barnwell, he didn’t seem to have some of the nuances needed for putting Green Bay at 27.

Green Bay Packers deciding against Bryan Bulaga is rooted in Packers’ history. They haven’t brought back an offensive lineman on his third deal in the Thompson-Gutekunst era. People were outraged when Mike Wahle, Marco Rivera didn’t come back. The same when T.J. Lang and Josh Sitton went to other teams. In all of those cases, the Packers have been right about their lineman. They have a hit rate better than most NFL teams when it comes to an offensive lineman.

The idea that A.J. Dillon is a replacement for Aaron Jones does not feel accurate to me. Packers are likely not going to give Jones a huge contract. No smart team gives running back the big deal they want. But Dillon seems more like the Jamaal Williams replacement, and a better version of him. Green Bay wants to use Jones more in the passing game and try to limit his wear and tear. I do agree with Barnwell that Dillon is a risk in the second round.

The veteran receiver part is one that seems a bit of revisionist history. For starters, the market wasn’t that great. Second, they did offer a deal to Emmanuel Sanders. He did not want come here claiming it’s too cold plus ties to New Orleans. Third, the Packers do have a wealth of young receivers. Are they good? Some have shown promise, but none have yet checked the box of good.

Packers’ offseason will come into question if the Packers miss the playoffs and take a major step back in Matt LaFleur’s second year. But part of me believes it will be another good year around Titletown.

Charlie.