Matt LaFleur has created an expectation of success during his five seasons in with the Green Bay Packers. This is the first season since 2018, Mike McCarthy’s last year in Green Bay, that the Packers have had a .500 record or losing record through five weeks.
In 2018, the Packers were 2-2-1 through five weeks. After losses to the Los Angeles Rams and San Francisco 49ers, Green Bay self-evaluated and sold off some of their assets at the trade deadline.
They traded former first-round safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix to the Washington Commanders for a fourth-round pick. In addition to trading their starting safety, the Packers also traded away some of their depth in Ty Montgomery. The Packers exiled the former running back and receiver after fumbling a kickoff to seal the Rams loss in Week 8.
Green Bay only received a fourth- and a seventh-round pick. But they used that extra value to trade up and get Darnell Savage in 2019 to replace Clinton-Dix.
The Packers aren’t very good right now, but they can’t make changes to be better in the future. But at this moment and with the bye coming up, the Packers look like they’ll be in prime position to sell like they did in 2018.
This Packers team has plenty of assets that contending teams could want, starting with the safety that they drafted to replace Clinton-Dix. Savage is in the final year of his contract and has shown he can still be an effective player. Savage would not command an incredibly high price. But any assets that could be acquired from trading Savage would be better than just letting him walk at the end of the season.
The Packers have minimal experienced safety depth, but losing Savage would not make that much of a difference. Jonathan Owens has proven to be a capable starter in the NFL. Owens could fill in for Savage if the Packers trade their former first-round pick.
Preston Smith is another valuable veteran who contenders would covet. There are a lot of teams that would like to use Smith as an outside linebacker and not in the slot covering the opposing team’s No. 1 receiver like the Packers are using him.
Smith has had a bit of a down season than what he’s accustomed to. Still, he’s an established NFL veteran with playoff experience. Smith has recorded 10-plus sacks during seasons in his career. Teams looking for insurance or another edge rusher to complement their star would be a great fit for Smith.
He could fetch a pretty solid price. Smith’s contract is reasonable, and the Packers could eat a large chunk of it to get more in a trade. A second- or third-rounder would be fair value for Smith in a trade. It would also allow the Packers to let rookie Lukas Van Ness learn on the job and get his hands a little more dirty.
De’Vondre Campbell would also be an interesting trade candidate. The Packers are just so thin at linebacker, and relying on Quay Walker to lead the room is a risky gamble. Keisean Nixon is a versatile player who could provide value to a team on special teams and defense. However, Rich Bisaccia probably loves Nixon too much to let him go.
The Packers are not going to trade any of their young offensive players. They really don’t have any veterans to trade on that side of the ball.
Trading some of these players or any players that could provide value is going to do more good than harm for the Packers. Holding onto veterans does not make them any better. This season was about development, let Green Bay’s young players play and get what you can for the veterans.
Just like in 2018, the Packers should trade off their veteran assets to build for the future. This year is a transition year for the Green and Gold. Tough goodbyes are going to be a part of it.
