Is it wise for the Packers to stick with kicker Brandon McManus? | Mailbag
· Yahoo Sports
GREEN BAY − Green Bay Press-Gazette and PackersNews columnist Pete Dougherty responds to reader questions on the hot topics of the Green Bay Packers’ offseason.
Visit casino-promo.biz for more information.
The following is an excerpt from this week’s story. For the full story, click here.
Michael: Brandon McManus is 1-for-4 on field goals in his two playoff games with the Packers. In what universe does that merit a $1M roster bonus? There were several elite veteran kickers available in free agency; it’s mind-boggling that Brian Gutekunst chose to stick with McManus.
Dougherty: I can’t say I find the decision mind-boggling, though after the Packers’ playoff loss to the Bears I have to admit I thought the missed kicks more likely than not would cost McManus his job.
But there were no elite kickers available in free agency that I know of. Nick Folk was the biggest name available, and he’s a 41-year old who signed for $4.5M this year.
There is no getting around that McManus’ missed kicks against the Bears – two field goals and an extra point – were huge. He makes his kicks, the Packers win that game. Tough, windy conditions that night, but still. I walked out of Soldier Field that night thinking the Packers more likely than not would move on from him, but I did not think it was a given.
McManus did finish the regular season by going 13-for-13 on field goals and 16-for-16 on extra points after he returned from his quad injury in midseason. Gutekunst mentioned that after the season when asked whether McManus would be back. Sounds like that was enough to convince Gutekunst to bring him back despite the three big misses against the Bears in the playoffs.
I get your point. Some teams have a quick hook with kickers, others don’t. Gutekunst apparently doesn’t want to get caught in the bind he was in two years ago, when he went through several kickers. He likes McManus as a veteran who’s had success in the league and has won a Super Bowl.
So yeah, chances are really good McManus will be back. But if he has a bad camp, the Packers might have eat that $1M bonus they paid him recently and find somebody else. They do still have Lucas Havrisik on their roster as competition for him.
Do the Packers need more help at linebacker?
Jeff M: Does it seem to you that the Packers still have work to do at linebacker? From what I've read Zaire Franklin is not a cover guy. Neither is Isaiah McDuffie. That leaves [Edgerrin] Cooper as the only linebacker with coverage ability, and that would limit his blitzing and play at the line of scrimmage. If they can't get a better linebacker with better coverage ability would it make sense to play three safeties in certain situations?
Dougherty: I don’t think there’s a starting linebacker still to be acquired this offseason, if that’s what you’re asking.
They traded for Franklin and then gave him a $2M raise, so I don’t see them bringing in another veteran. It would help them if Ty’Ron Hopper made a big jump in Year 3 and beat out Franklin for the starting job. But after Hopper’s disappointing performance when he got his chance to play all game at Minnesota in the regular-season finale, I can’t say that’s likely to happen.
So I’d expect Franklin to play a lot, but for new defensive coordinator Jonathan Gannon to use him in a way that won’t put excessive pressure on him as a cover man. Franklin would have been a bad fit for Jeff Hafley’s defense, because Hafley’s scheme (like Robert Saleh’s and DeMeco Ryan’s) relies heavily on having fast linebackers who can cover a lot of ground in coverage.
But if by playing three safeties you mean using Javon Bullard as a second linebacker in a nickel defense that includes five defensive linemen and Cooper, then yes, I could see that being part of Gannon’s plans. It sounds like Gannon played a lot of three-safety lineups in Arizona, and using Bullard would be one way to fortify coverage at linebacker while still having five defensive linemen on the field to stop the run.
Those are the kinds of things we’ll be looking for in training camp and early in the regular season from the Packers’ new DC.
Is tight end a draft need?
Pete in Cape Coral: This is Luke Musgrave's final year on his contract, and he hasn't lived up to the second-round pick he is. Do you see GB drafting a TE later in the draft and if so, would it be more an in-line blocking TE or a receiving threat that Musgrave was supposed to be?
Dougherty: I’d say there’s a pretty good chance the Packers will draft a tight end at some point in this draft and, yeah, I’d think it would be one who leans more to the blocking side of things. If they don’t draft one, seems a given they’ll sign one or two as undrafted rookies.
The Packers’ best blocking tight end is Tucker Kraft. Musgrave is a bad blocker. Josh Whyle, who for now is their No. 3, is more a receiver than blocker. So it seems a given Matt LaFleur wants a good blocking option at tight end if he can get one. He likes using multiple tight-end personnel, so he can never have enough players at that position.
For that matter, the Los Angeles Rams last year got a lot of mileage out of three tight-end sets, and LaFleur undoubtedly keeps an eye on what his former boss (Sean McVay) is doing. They run the same scheme. McVay went to the three-tight end sets out of necessity because of early-season injuries at receiver, and he liked it so much he used it a lot even as his receiving corps got healthy. LaFleur might want to give that a shot himself as a change of pace.
So yeah, the Packers are in the market for many things, and tight end surely is one. I’d think they’d lean more toward a blocking-type, but the more complete a tight end is, the better.
Rhinelander Blair: Given the moves so far this offseason, it appears like Packers are gearing up for the 2027 season hoarding compensatory picks rather than going in on the 2026 season. Do you see them signing some old veterans on short-term contracts to fill some of the holes on the roster and then being all-in for 2027?
Dougherty: I can’t shake the feeling that there’s more to come for the Packers than just the draft. Not predicting earth-shaking moves, but I just wonder if Gutekunst will end up signing a veteran stopgap or two either just before or just after the draft.
This article originally appeared on Packers News: Is it wise for Green Bay Packers to keep kicker Brandon McManus? Mailbag