The Ongoing Musical Chairs At Linebacker

The linebacker core is the one unit that always seems to be undergoing some sort of shuffle. While Julius Peppers and Clay Matthews have excelled this season, it's been terrible times for Brad Jones, Mike Neal and A.J. Hawk.

Top photos from Sunday's #Packers win: http://t.co/YLxg3qvMq9 pic.twitter.com/ZD6nlgNeiB
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) November 24, 2014

In my recap of the win over the Vikings, I wrote that it was a quiet game for Matthews, who seemed a step slow as he played and practices through a groin injury. It looks like he's feeling better now, but in case his groin injury remains a problem, they'll need DE Mike Daniels and Peppers to make plays against the Patriots.

According to the ESPN playing time breakdown, rookie Jayrone Elliott was given some meaningful snaps for only the second time this season, without making much of an impact one way or another. Unfortunately he was only taking away snaps from Matthews outside, as Neal played as many snaps (59) as he's played in any game this season and received his worst game grade of the season from Pro Football Focus. Hopefully Nick Perry feels better this week and can take away snaps from Neal.

It was interesting that Brad Jones played his first meaningful snaps (13) on defense since a terrible performance against the Dolphins a few weeks ago. Against the Vikings, he received a slight positive grade from Pro Football Focus, which is a massive improvement for him. I'm not expecting too much from Hawk, but he's looking slow in coverage against the tight end, and it's forced them to reconsider Jones, who has the potential to be their best linebacker in coverage though he's been awful this season. The Patriots rely heavily on their tight ends and the Vikings game might be a prelude to a bigger role for Jones next week.

The Packers New Starting Inside LB: Sam Barrington

The Packers surprisingly gave inside LB Sam Barrington his first NFL start last Sunday against the Panthers. I still think LB Jamari Lattimore is better in pass coverage, though that's not saying much. If LB Brad Jones could recover his 2012 form, he'd be their best coverage LB, but that season seems a long ways away. He's been given extensive playing time in two games (at Seattle, at Miami) and he was terrible in both because of penalties and missed tackles.

ILB	Snaps	Sack	Pass Defense	INT	Tackles
Hawk	484	0.5	2	0	52
Lattimore	261	0	1	1	34
Jones	113	0	1	0	6
Barrington	50	0	0	0	6

LB A.J. Hawk is slightly behind Jones for the worst grade at inside linebacker, according to Pro Football Focus, this season, though Jones recorded a similarly awful grade in only one-quarter of the number of snaps. Their rankings for Lattimore and Barrington are about the same; both are average players. They aren't making big plays but they aren't getting burned either. I'm not sure how many missed tackles Jones has this season, as a team the Packers are about league average in allowing yards after the catch, but he does lead the team with four penalties this season.

The coaches basically split time for Lattimore and Barrington against Carolina, and that doesn't seem like a bad idea until one of them emerges (or one stumbles). The coaches have a love of A.J. Hawk that makes any reduction in his playing time seem impossible. Jones has clearly made the case that he doesn't belong in the discussion.

One side note; the Packers aren't blitzing any of the inside linebackers much. After recording five sacks last season, Hawk only has a half-sack through seven games. That isn't a problem; it means they're getting enough pressure from their front four that they can drop their inside backers into coverage. I don't have the exact stats on blitz percentages, but it seems like they're blitzing less this season.

The Packers Practiced on Wednesday but Eddie Lacy Did Not

Wednesday is the first chance to see how the injured Packers are doing. Things can change between now and Sunday but it looks like RT Bryan Bulaga is still hurting:

Bulaga worked through some drills with the #packers O-Line. ... pic.twitter.com/rdeo2klYbi
— Tyler Dunne (@TyDunne) September 10, 2014

I think we saw the worst of RT Derek Sherrod against the Seahawks, he generally played better during the preseason, but Bulaga's return would be welcomed. Right now, it looks like career start number one for Sherrod will be happening soon.

On the other hand, RB Eddie Lacy didn't practice though he might be back very soon. He's already passed the first concussion protocol step. The Packers aren't going to rush him back, so if he does play on Sunday, I wouldn't have any concerns about him.

It seems like LB Brad Jones played awful last Thursday night because he's playing hurt (he always seems to be hurting) but that doesn't explain why he played all 70 defensive snaps against the Seahawks (one of only four defenders to do so). Maybe he aggravated the quad injury he suffered in late August at some point during the game and the coaches didn't realize it. But he was limited in practice for most of last week. Why would they rely so heavily on a player who wasn't 100%.

Despite all the talk about a big makeover on defense this season, they're still relying on a former 7th round pick who's inconsistent and/or injured and the only two options are another former 7th round pick (Sam Barrington) and an undrafted college defensive end (Jamari Lattimore). Maybe LB Carl Bradford is the answer, but he just made the switch inside a couple weeks ago. Due to missed tackles and penalties in pass coverage, inside linebacker is looking like the weak link on defense.

The Offense Is Playing Great and The Injuries Aren't That Bad

It's been kind of a gloomy week, despite the win over the Lions, because LB Clay Matthews was injured. However, I'm very optimistic after a commanding win over the Lions (be it without WR Calvin Johnson) and it feels like the Packers are about to go on a run.

This headline is a head scratcher: Packers offense not firing on all cylinders. QB Aaron Rodgers isn't playing like it's 2011, but this is a powerhouse offense. They're the number two offense according to Football Outsiders, which is basically the best any team can hope for this season when QB Peyton Manning is on pace for 64 TDs and 3 INTs. Rodgers isn't having his best season statistically, but otherwise the offense has made two major improvements to areas that had been holding them back.

After watching Rodgers take hit after hit for the past few seasons, he's only been sacked 11 times this season, which is tied for 8th best. Also, the offensive line has helped two different backs go over 100 yards rushing in a game (Franklin and Starks) and Lacy just missed the mark with 99 yards against the Lions. That's even more impressive considering there have only been eighteen 100 yard rushing games in the entire league so far this season.

The additions of Franklin and Lacy have obviously helped, but I've also been impressed with the run blocking of LT David Bakhtiari. Another key promotion has been C Evan Dietrich-Smith, who's been much better at taking out the inside linebacker against the run than C Jeff Saturday was. The pass offense is still outstanding, ranked behind only Denver and San Diego according to Football Outsiders, but now the running attack is a top 3 unit, behind only Philadelphia and Indianapolis.

As for the injuries, the return of S Morgan Burnett last week was great to see. Hopefully CB Casey Hayward can end his season long absence and return soon. RB James Starks is hurting, but that was inevitable. LB Brad Jones is a big loss, he's good at every aspect of the game, but he might only miss one week (with another hamstring injury?). There's no player more important to the defense than LB Clay Matthews, but they actually have no idea when he might be back (in a good way). His thumb won't heal but he can play with a cast and he might return sooner than we originally believed. Matthews could also use the time off; he looked a bit slow during the Lions game and his hamstring might still be bothering him. There will be some problems on defense next week, against a Ravens team that has a lot of problems on offense, but the defense should be getting all their starters back shortly.

Position Review: Inside Linebacker

This looked like a position to watch this preseason, but instead the Green Bay Packers have already made up their mind and recently released Desmond Bishop. With the starters now in place, it's just a matter of figuring out who's going to fill out the backup positions.

Previously:
Position Reviews-Offense
Position Review-Defensive Line

There are four rookie linebackers currently on the roster, I wouldn't be surprised to see one or two of them move inside, and the Packers have been known to move those guys back and forth from the outside. But at this point, I don't know what the coaches exactly have in mind. I'm going to exclude the rookies at this point.

A.J. Hawk and Brad Jones. The two unquestioned starters. While Hawk has never been my favorite player, the coaches spoke highly of him this offseason and he certainly knows the defense. There is an advantage to having a player who rarely misses a game. Jones had a breakout season as an emergency starter and graded out very well by Pro Football Focus. Not a lot of flash, but they're both solid.

Terrell Manning. I was surprised at how limited he looked last preseason, but it was apparently due to the fact that he was really sick. If the Packers had been concerned about their depth, they probably wouldn't have released both Bishop and D.J. Smith. I think Manning's the reason why they let both of them go. He'll be someone to watch this preseason.

Robert Francois. He started some games in 2011, but he was relegated to the special teams last season. He probably won't be given the first chance to start if either Hawk or Jones is injured, but he doesn't seem to be going anywhere either.

Jamari Lattimore. The former undrafted free agent has played inside and outside in his first two seasons, but it looks like his future lies on the inside. I expect he's just a special teams player, but Jones and Bishop hid deep on the depth chart for three seasons before they got their chance to start. He's only 24 years old and maybe his opportunity just hasn't happened yet.

Overall, there's not a lot of intrigue while the backup positions are sorted out, but there's been a lot of changes now that one starter is gone (Bishop) and his likely successor (Smith) has been released too.

The Surprising Free Agent Pursuit of Desmond Bishop

Maybe I shouldn't be so surprised. LB Desmond Bishop is a starting linebacker who only lost his job because of a hamstring injury that happened a year ago. But after watching him closely over the past several seasons, I don't see a player that multiple teams should be fighting for.

Giants, Jaguars join Vikings, Chiefs in Desmond Bishop chase http://t.co/BRQrRq68K0
— NFL: AroundTheLeague (@NFL_ATL) June 21, 2013

Bishop had an exceptional 2010 season, and recorded five sacks in 2011, but now he's coming off a lost year. The only advantage he has over someone like free agent LB Nick Barnett, who Pro Football Focus said had "two decent years in Buffalo", is that Bishop is under age 30. It would seem that Barnett's relative health (he hasn't missed a game since 2010) would offset that Bishop's three years younger, but that doesn't appear to be the case since at least three teams are in hot pursuit for Bishop while Barnett has been unemployed since February.

Just in case anyone was worried that the Packers might have made a mistake in releasing Bishop, Pro Football Focus called LB Brad Jones a "Secret Superstar" while also noting that LB A.J. Hawk had his best pro season in 2012. GM Ted Thompson wasn't going to pay three inside linebackers like they were starters, so someone had to go and Bishop hasn't been outstanding since 2010.

It's Official: Packers Release Desmond Bishop

I've thought this was an obvious move ever since the Green Bay Packers re-signed ILB Brad Jones, so it doesn't come as a big surprise.

The release of LB Desmond Bishop is official: http://t.co/0gu2iKnWQz
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) June 17, 2013

Previous: Packers May Soon Release Desmond Bishop.

Though one unfortunate consequence is that Bishop may soon visit the Vikings, who lost starting ILB Jasper Brinkley to the Cardinals in free agency. It sucks when anything done by the Packers potentially helps the Vikings.

Bishop had a surprising career with the Packers. I wasn't expecting much from him as a 6th round pick in 2007, but he made the team as a special teams player. He showed promise early on as a run stuffing inside linebacker, but it took him a couple years to figure how to cover receivers. After injuries to Nick Barnett and Brandon Chillar in 2010, he finally got his chance to start and had a great 2010 season.

Unfortunately, he wasn't as good in 2011, and then he was out for all of 2012. He'll be 29 years old at the start of next season. While he's likely to play for another team, the combination of leg injuries, age, and high price led to his release. Because of the coaches undying love for A.J. Hawk, and a surprisingly strong 2012 season from Brad Jones, the Packers are probably in better shape with them next season. Also, the Packers appear to be expecting more from second year LB Terrell Manning as a reserve. While the release of Bishop, and the previous release of LB D.J. Smith, is stretching their depth at linebacker, they appear to be comfortable with the healthy players still on the roster. With Bishop's likely demotion, his release should have little impact on them next season.

Packers May Soon Release Desmond Bishop

I've been expecting the Green Bay Packers to release LB Desmond Bishop ever since they re-signed LB Brad Jones because his new contract pays him like a starter ($11.75 million over three years). While LB A.J. Hawk took a multi-million dollar pay cut, he's still paid like a starter ($10.6 million over three years) and the decision to re-negotiate instead of releasing looks like a clear sign that they still believe in him. 

Since the Packers only need two starting inside linebacker, paying Bishop like a starter doesn't make much sense. Especially for the Packers, who aren't known for ever keeping high priced veterans in reserve roles. Now the rumors have heated up again:

According to #NFL source, barring a contract restructure or trade, #Packers will be parting ways with ILB Desmond Bishop (@desbishop55).
— Jason Wilde (@jasonjwilde) June 12, 2013

I can't see any team offering anything in trade for a veteran coming off a lost season (hamstring injury) who's scheduled to make over $3 million. A contract restructuring seems unlikely too. Bishop wants a chance to start, his goal is to be defensive player of the year, and he can't do that from the bench. As mentioned earlier, the Packers aren't known for keeping veterans as bench and/or special teams players. Plus, they still have depth at inside linebacker, even if Bishop is gone.

Another problem is that the last time Bishop was healthy, he was bad against the run, which is exactly what you don't want from an inside linebacker. While he did record five sacks in 2011, usually after a delayed inside blitz, Jones had two sacks last season and Hawk increased his sack total from one and one-half in 2011 to three in 2012. They seem capable of making up what Bishop added as a pass rusher.

My only question is why now? Everything I wrote above about Bishop has been true for a while. This is the final week of OTAs (organized team activities) and he sat out at least one open practice due to his hamstring. That was precautionary and probably not a big deal, but the Packers apparently didn't see enough progress from him in some regard. Parting ways with him seemed inevitable to me for a while, but maybe the Packers have only recently come to the same conclusion.

Surprisingly, The Packers Re-Sign Brad Jones For A Lot Of Money

Because of season ending injuries to ILB Desmond Bishop and ILB D.J. Smith, the Green Bay Packers were forced to go to their third option, and they gave fourth year LB Brad Jones ten starts (plus two playoff games) at inside linebacker. He was rarely on the highlight reel, but he did a solid job and I expected some linebacker needy team would overpay him to start next season. I wasn't expecting that team would be the Packers.

You're kidding, right? RT @robdemovsky: Brad Jones signs for 3 years, $11.75M pck.rs/11s9t6k
— Tom Oates (@TomOatesWSJ) March 22, 2013

The deal also included a $3 million signing bonus, which is more than I would have ever expected him to receive. While I've started out kicking the Packers for overspending on a former backup, this kind of reminds me of two years ago when the Packers surprisingly re-signed WR James Jones. He too was given a chance to test the market and he didn't find any better offers. His contract, and production, over the past couple seasons has worked out very well for everyone involved. A $3 million signing bonus is a lot, but it's less than the $8 million bonus LB A.J. Hawk received two years ago.

Jones's stats weren't too impressive in 2012 (77 tackles, 2 sacks, 4 pass defenses, 1 forced fumble), but the guys over at Pro Football Focus have been saying good things about him all year. When they ranked the free agent linebackers before the start of free agency, he was ranked as their third best linebacker available. The only linebacker with a higher grade last season was Philip Wheeler, who received a surprising 5 year, $26 million contract from the Dolphins. Pro Football Focus gave Jones high marks against the run and in coverage, and an inside linebacker who can do both well is a valuable player.

Still, there are a lot of concerns here. Jones began the 2012 season behind three other players at inside linebacker, and he wasn't even being considered at outside linebacker anymore. Last season might have been his ceiling, a career best in a contract year, and it might have been better to find an impact player in the draft. Also, GM Ted Thompson has a bad habit of giving long-term contracts to linebackers who haven't been worth it (Brady Poppinga, Brandon Chillar, A.J. Hawk).

Jones's play on the field last year earned him the chance to start, but I rather it have been another team. Still, you can't guarantee they'll find an immediate starter in the draft, and I wasn't really eager to see Bishop return as the starter next season, his performance dropped off in 2011 even before his injury, so they probably made the right decision by choosing Jones over Bishop. Hawk's recently restructured deal probably keeps him secure and I don't expect the Packers will pay both Jones and Bishop like starters. It's a lateral move for a defense that needed to get better, but since Jones wasn't directly part of the problem on defense, maybe he can become part of something better next season.

Packers Free Agency: Who Might Return In 2013?

When the Green Bay Packers have let a player become an unrestricted free agent in recent years, it's a pretty good sign that they don't intend to bring him back. One recent exception was LB Erik Walden, who re-signed last year for near the veteran's minimum, but he might have hurt more than he helped last season.

For those who've asked, here's the list of #Packers unrestricted and restricted free agents: sulia.com/c/green-bay-pa…
— Jason Wilde (@jasonjwilde) February 14, 2013

RB Cedric Benson, RB Ryan Grant, WR Greg Jennings, ILB Brad Jones, and OLB Erik Walden are all unrestricted free agents.

TE Tom Crabtree, C Evan Dietrich-Smith, ILB Rob Francois, CB Sam Shields, and OLB Frank Zombo are all restricted free agents. Since the restricted free agent market is for all practical purposes extinct, those players aren't going anywhere. They will sign modest one-year contracts to return, unless the Packers decide they don't want them back at any price. I'd expect them all to return for the start of training camp.

Do you see the Packers re-signing any of their unrestricted free agents?

They might wait until April, but they could re-sign Cedric Benson. They were pretty happy with his style of running before his season ending foot injury, and if he can pass a physical, he might return as the veteran alternative to RB DuJuan Harris or any back they add in the draft.

Jennings will probably be too expensive, despite what these former GMs think, because there are some teams with money to spend. All it takes is one serious suitor for Jennings to become too expensive.

Both Grant and Walden were allowed to leave last year and only played roles with the team because of injuries. I don't think the Packers will bring them back to do the same thing in 2013.

The Packers would probably like Brad Jones to return, but after a year of starting at inside linebacker, he might look for a starting job elsewhere. He might even find some team willing to let him start and pay him a couple million per year over the next few years. That's not a lot of money, but the Packers would only use him as a special teams player and backup linebacker, so a couple million is too much to pay him.

In the end, the Packers probably won't re-sign any unrestricted free agents before March, but they could return later in the month.

Out For The Year: Replacing Brandon Saine and D.J. Smith

While the Green Bay Packers looked very impressive in their win on Sunday over the previously undefeated Texans, the victory came with a cost: backup RB Brandon Saine and starting LB D.J. Smith were lost for the season due to knee injuries. Word on CB Sam Shields and LB Nick Perry is pending until later this week.

If Saine played at all on offense, I must have blinked and missed it, but he was a key player on special teams.   Mike McCarthy was complimenting rookie LB Terrell Manning as a special teams player on Monday, so Manning might be playing a larger role in the future. Though Saine didn't play on offense, his loss, in addition to the temporary absence of RB Cedric Benson and the ongoing limited playing time for RB James Starks (turf toe), has made depth a problem at running back. So the waiver claim of RB Johnny White seemed necessary.

White was a 5th round pick in 2011 and probably deep behind Bills' RB Fred Jackson and RB C.J. Spiller on the depth chart, which could have made him expendable in Buffalo. He hasn't done much as a pro, but he was a jack-of-all-trades in college at North Carolina, playing cornerback and wide receiver in addition to running back, so he could fit the role as backup, scout team player, special teams performer quite nicely. The Packers usually have three running backs active each week, so White might get thrown into the mix at special teams right away until Benson returns.

There's been no roster move to replace Smith yet, but as soon as the Packers want to add someone to the 53-man roster, Smith's certain to go onto I.R. They don't need to make a move immediately because Manning was not active against the Texans, so he'll take a backup role and probably play on special teams against the Rams.

Veteran LB Brad Jones spent the offseason preparing to play inside linebacker, which seemed unnecessary a few months ago and now looks like a wise move. Smith got off to a slow start with a poor game against the 49ers, but he'd been looking a lot better over the past few weeks. If Jones was a better player then he would have already been ahead of Smith, but I'm not expecting much of a drop off. I'm also expecting to see a lot more of LB A.J. Hawk; Smith had been playing ahead of Hawk on some of the Packers nickel and dime packages this season.

If Jones struggles, then I'm sure they wouldn't hesitate to give either LB Robert Francois, LB Jamari Lattimore, or Manning a chance (though McCarthy admitted Manning's "farther ahead on special teams than he is on defense.") Losing two inside linebackers (LB Desmond Bishop during the preseason) is a bad thing, but the Packers have a lot of depth to make up for it.

The Packers 90-man Roster: Linebackers

The Green Bay Packers are bringing thirteen linebackers into training camp next month, so this has to be one of the biggest areas of competition on the roster based on size alone. Though they could keep as many as ten on the 53-man roster. Overall, this may be the best group of linebackers to play for the Packers since the early 1980s.

Player	Height	Weight	Age	Experience
Bishop, Desmond	6-2	238	27	6
Francois, Robert	6-2	255	27	3
Hawk, A.J.	6-1	247	28	7
Jones, Brad	6-3	242	26	4
Lattimore, Jamari	6-2	230	23	2
Manning, Terrell	6-2	237	22	Rookie
Matthews, Clay	6-3	255	26	4
Moses, Dezman	6-2	249	23	Rookie
Perry, Nick	6-3	265	22	Rookie
Smith, D.J.	5-11	239	23	2
So'oto, Vic	6-3	263	24	2
Walden, Erik	6-2	250	26	5
Zombo, Frank	6-3	254	25	3

Unless there's a big shake-up in training camp, it will be Bishop, Hawk, Matthews and Perry starting at linebacker. There should be no doubt about Bishop and Matthews, and while Hawk had a poor 2011 season, the coaches are publicly supporting him and I can't imagine they'd take away his starting job in training camp.

I don't believe the Packers would have drafted Perry in the 1st round if they didn't expect him to be good enough to start immediately. They might limit his snaps if he struggles in some situations, such as obvious rushing downs or on defensive calls when they need a linebacker to drop into pass coverage, but I expect he'll start one way or another.

While the Packers should keep six (or seven, if a linebacker is kept on the practice squad) of the remaining nine players listed, I have no idea who they might be. It all depends on whether they can stay healthy, and how they play this preseason.

Francois has been cut before, so he's not a lock. Jones has been in-and-out of favor for the past three seasons, he's been lining up inside this summer, and he'll need a strong camp to stay. Lattimore looked good last preseason, but he did little when he had a chance to play during the regular season. Smith might be the one sure thing among the backups, but a poor preseason could doom his chances too. So'oto followed an outstanding 2011 preseason with a MIA regular season due to injuries, and he did little when he was able to play. Walden received little interest in free agency, and despite his limitations as a pass rusher and in coverage, he's probably the best outside LB after Matthews and Perry. Zombo had a lost 2011 season due to multiple injuries, and he'll have to prove that he's healthy and productive. Overall, there's a lot of potential with the returning backups, but an awful lot of question marks too.

Finally, Manning and Moses are the other promising new additions. Manning looks like he could be a solid middle linebacker in coverage, and he could be a Brandon Chillar type of player. Moses has been the star of the OTAs, the undrafted player who's already earned some reps with the first team defense. It's very early in their careers, but so far so good.

Overall competition level: high. There are a lot of good players here, and at least one promising player or former starter is going to find himself released before the start of the regular season. The Packers needed to upgrade the position, and they've certainly done it.