The Green Bay Packers went 6-9-1 and finished third in the NFC North division last season. It was a very disappointing season for a team that had a multitude of issues. However, the problems mainly landed at the feet of head coach Mike McCarthy. The lack of production on both sides of the ball led to his firing 13 weeks into the season.
McCarthy had been the coach in Green Bay for a decade. Franchise quarterback Aaron Rodgers hadn't seen or known anything different. By the end of the coach's tenure, Rodgers had begun to audible out of nearly every play call. It was embarrassing. The organization knew that a change had to happen fast.
This is why this offseason, they went out and hired Matt LaFleur from the Tennessee Titans. The former offensive coordinator is another member of the Sean McVay coaching tree. LaFleur spent time with the Redskins as well as with the Rams with McVay. He's considered to be one of the best offensive minds in the game.
Bringing in LaFleur is a huge dynamic change to the organization and culture. He's young and provides a more modern offensive scheme. LaFleur brings a west coast based offense mixed with option routes, pre-snap motion, and zone blocking.
With LaFleur's hiring, the team decided to keep their defensive coordinator Mike Pettine around.
Pettine spent his first season with the Green Bay Packers in 2018 after a hiatus from the league for several seasons. Pettine spent 2014-2015 as the head coach of the Cleveland Browns. He’s known as a viable play caller. It’s not very surprising he stayed on.
However, there has been some change in the Packers’ defense. They traded away Ha Ha Clinton-Dix to the Washington Redskins, as they desperately needed a rental at safety. Their dynamic pass rusher in Clay Matthews is a free agent this offseason. They will be reshaping their defense perhaps even more so than their offensive personnel.
It would make a lot of sense for them to bring in former Carolina Panthers linebacker Thomas Davis. Even though Davis is 35, he still should have the juice in him to play one or two more seasons in the league.
Last season for the Panthers, he had 79 tackles through 12 games as well as six pass deflections. From 2012-2016, he had five straight seasons of 100+ tackles. Regardless of his age, he still can be an impactful defender.
The future of Matthews and the Packers remain unclear. It seems as if they will be moving on from him. In that case, Davis could fill in his place as a leader quite well.
Davis fits Pettine's defensive scheme well and would allow them to address their linebacker spots next draft. He's a perfect rental for any team looking for a versatile linebacker who can play in coverage fairly well.
The Packers need to add some depth to their defense. Instead of wasting a mid-round draft pick this offseason, Thomas Davis makes a lot of sense. He'd extend their defense another year and provide much needed veteran leadership.
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