Green Bay Packers built a sneaky good defense in 2019

The Green Bay Packers built a sneaky good defense for the 2019 season, and most of their work went under the radar.

The burden of winning football games for the Green Bay Packers may no longer be squarely on Aaron Rodgers’ shoulders.

The Packers may be carried in 2019 by their defense, although Rodgers and the offense could still return to elite status if he’s fully healthy.

There was a lot going on in Green Bay this offseason.

The team fired longtime head coach Mike McCarthy.

They hired a young offensive mind in Matt LaFleur to pair with Rodgers.

Bleacher Report released an exposé of the organization and painted Rodgers as a control freak and generally a bad guy, a report which Rodgers later refuted and defended himself against.

The Packers also let fan favorite Clay Matthews walk this offseason, along with Randall Cobb on the offensive side.

Rodgers’ big trio of Davante Adams, Jordy Nelson, and Cobb is down to just Adams. The discount double check State Farm duo of Rodgers and Matthews is no more.

The times have changed in Green Bay, so much so that many general NFL fans missed out on the fact that the team handed out nearly $210 million in total money on contracts in free agency.

Compare that to the $233.37 million they spent on unrestricted free agents from 2011-2018 (according to Spotrac records).

The Packers had money to spend, and for the first time in a long time, they spent it.

Over the course of the offseason, the Packers completely re-tooled their defense and the moves they made enhance some of the solid draft choices they have made through the past couple of years.

How good can this defense be in 2019? Very good. Here are some of the new pieces that should give Packers fans hope.

Za’Darius Smith, EDGE

The Packers went out and gave 26-year old Za’Darius Smith — formerly of the Baltimore Ravens — a four-year, $66 million contract to be their featured edge player.

Smith can win with quickness and power, and has a devastating inside move.

He is an instant infusion of toughness and consistent pass rush for this unit.

Preston Smith, EDGE

The Washington Redskins were still waiting for Preston Smith to take the next step from good to great, but the Packers won’t be picky here. Even if they get “good” Preston Smith, they will take that.

This is a guy who consistently gets pressure on the QB even if he’s not finishing plays. He will rack up hits and he will play the run effectively.

Adrian Amos, S

The Packers’ move to go and get Adrian Amos from the Bears is one of the underrated moves of the offseason.

While Amos probably doesn’t have as high of a ceiling as his former Bears teammate Eddie Jackson, he’s proven to be a highly effective all-around safety with the ability to play in the box and make plays in space.

Darnell Savage, S

The Packers were sick of the back end of their defense struggling, so they went out and overhauled the safety spot this offseason.

I mentioned Amos excels playing in space as well as in the box, and I think Savage is going to as well.

Savage might be the fastest player on the Packers’ roster and he’s a head hunter out there. He could be their version of Tyrann Mathieu.

Rashan Gary, DL

The Packers’ top pick in the 2019 NFL Draft has all of the athleticism in the world, but didn’t quite have the consistent production to lock in a top five draft slot in 2019.

The talent is there, however, and Gary has the raw strength and athleticism to at least just capitalize on the hard work of some of the other talented guys around him in Green Bay’s defense.

Imagine if these players mentioned can have an impact right away for the Packers, and the team is able to get significant contributions out of their five defensive backs who were drafted in the top two rounds of the last three draft classes as well as their studs up front in Mike Daniels and Kenny Clark?

The Packers’ defensive talent has been significantly upgraded. The question now is how quickly can they get this unit gelling together?