The Green Bay Packers are reportedly shopping for reinforcements at the trade deadline, as general manager Brian Gutekunst looks to provide a shot in the arm for a team that entered the season with Super Bowl hopes.
Per Dan Graziano of ESPN
, Green Bay has “checked in” on running backs and offensive linemen ahead of next week’s deadline, and he added that he expects all the NFC North teams to be “somewhat active."Adding a running back or offensive linemen would make some sense for the Packers, as the weakest area of the team is undoubtedly the run game. Their problems in that department may be too great for one player to solve, but bringing in talent either up front or in the backfield can’t hurt.
If it is to be a running back, what are their
options? There has been reporting connecting Green Bay to Jonathan Taylor, who could be on the move as part of the Indianapolis fire sale and has interest from various teams.
The buzz on Taylor is that the Colts have already turned down a second-round pick plus another pick, so it appears the 27-year-old, who is under contract through 2028, will not come cheap.
Based on ESPN’s reporting it does not sound like Breece Hall will be traded by the New York Jets despite Braelon Allen’s emergence and Hall’s hefty contract.
There was some thought Baltimore’s resolve could be tested on Derrick Henry after Lamar Jackson suffered another injury and with the Ravens sitting dead last in the AFC North at 4-4, but after their trade for Jacoby Brissett, it seems they are not giving up on the season.
Tony Pollard makes a lot of sense, as the 29-year-old is in the final year of his deal in Tennessee, where the Titans are sitting at 1-7 on the season. Despite the dismal state of the Titans, Pollard is playing great football this year.
Among 57 running backs with at least 31 carries, he ranks 9th in the NFL in rushing yards with 595, tied for 16th with 4.5 yards per attempt, 12th in yards after contact per attempt and 14th in breakaway rate. He is also 13th in PFF's pass blocking grade.
The question of course is whether any running back could actually make a difference behind this offensive line, but Pollard has as good a chance as anyone, as he has put up his impressive numbers behind PFF's 31st ranked run block unit (I don’t need to tell you who is 32nd).
It is probably worth a shot, given Pollard is unlikely to be expensive to trade for.
Even if Josh Jacobs is not suspended again after further allegations were made against him, injuries happen, and the Packers probably do not want to return to a world where their backfield is led by MarShawn Lloyd, Kaleb Johnson and Chris Brooks, who has returned to practice.
If not Taylor or Pollard, the options get pretty thin. Tyler Allgeier is unlikely to be moved by Arizona now, given Jeremiyah Love is on injured reserve and James Conner is still not healthy.
They could take a dart throw on Kimani Vidal from the Chargers (although he is not their usual type in terms of size) or see if the Patriots have given up on TreVeyon Henderson yet and take him on as a reclamation project.
Trying to identify offensive linemen to target is even trickier. No team wants to trade a young, talented O-linemen, whether they are rebuilding or contending.
Green Bay would essentially only be looking at guards as they bet on Jordan Morgan and Anthony Belton developing. That narrows the scope even further, and they have already added three guards since the start of the season in Laken Tomlinson, Kevin Zeitler and Mekhi Becton.
If the Eagles are resigned to their season being over and are not going to re-sign Tyler Steen, who is a 26-year-old right guard in the final year of his rookie deal, he could make some sense, but they will get a compensatory pick if they let him walk anyway.
The more well-known name from Philadelphia that could be available is Landon Dickerson, but there is a reason for that. The 28-year-old, who can play guard or center, has dealt with injuries throughout his career and his play has dipped in the last couple of seasons.
Arizona does not have much need for veteran Isaac Seumalo. Perhaps there could be interest there. Besides that, they could take a flier on former high draft picks Jackson Powers-Johnson or Cole Strange and see if they can turn their careers around.
If the Packers do make a trade, it will be interesting to see not only what position it is at, but whether it is a big swing for a proven commodity, or a more modest move in an attempt to throw another variable into the mix and hope for the best.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Packers trade deadline: Is Tony Pollard the answer to run game woes?
