Milton Williams could be a huge loss for the Eagles defense. (Photo: John Rivera/Icon Sportswire, USA TODAY Sports)
By Mark Eckel
Even with the greenest and goldest color glasses the most die-hard Green Bay Packers fan could not deny that three teams in the NFC were better than the Packers in 2024.
You could argue about Washington and the Rams, who were seeded higher than the Packers and advanced further in the postseason. There's no denying Philadelphia, Detroit and Minnesota being better. The Packers were a combined 0-6 against the three teams with the best records in the NFC last season.
Has anything changed? Have the Packers made enough moves to close the gap on the Eagles, Lions and Vikings, or have any, or all, of those three lost enough to come back to the Pack?
Let's take a look at what's transpired this offseason.
Packers: The team didn't lose anyone they wanted to keep this offseason and that includes cornerback Jaire Alexander and defensive tackle T.J. Slaton. If they really wanted either one, they would still be there. And the really didn't want center Josh Myers. They added a starting guard in Aaron Banks and a starting corner in Nate Hobbs. It also appears they helped their special teams with the additions of Isaiah Simmons and Mecole Hardman. So overall you have to say the Packers improved. The question is did they improve enough?
Eagles: Last year's Super Bowl winner certainly did not stand pat. But the roster losses outweigh the additions. Start with offensive coordinator Kellen Moore leaving to become head coach of the New Orleans Saints. Moore was instrumental in the team's offensive game plan last season and a huge upgrade from the Brian Johnson experiment that failed in 2023. Kevin Patullo was promoted from passing game coordinator, but has never called plays before. He may be good, or he may be another Brian Johnson. As far as the roster, the Eagles added a dozen new players through free agency or trade, including former Packers running back A.J. Dillon. They are all, like Dillon, back-ups at best. The one who could make an impact is pass rusher Azeez Ojulari. Gone from last year's Champions on the defensive side of the ball are defensive lineman Milton Williams, edge rusher Josh Sweat, cornerback Darius Slay, safety C. J. Gardner-Johnson, and backups cornerback Avonte Maddox and edge rusher Brandon Graham. Linebacker Nakobe Dean is also expected to start the season on PUP. That's a lot to replace for coordinator Vic Fangio.
Lions: Last year's NFC North champs added free agent cornerback D.J. Reed from the Jets to replace free agent Carlton Davis who left for New England. Where the Lions got hurt the most is on the offensive line and on the coaching staff. Guard Kevin Zeitler left for Tennessee and center Frank Ragnow announced his retirement. That will hurt. What might hurt more is losing both coordinators. Offensive coordinator Ben Johnson left to become head coach of the Bears and defensive coordinator Aaron Glenn left to become head coach of the Jets. When the Eagles lost both coordinators after they went to the Super Bowl two years the replacements weren't up to snuff and the team suffered. What will the Lions get from new offensive boss John Morton and new defensive boss Kelvin Sheppard? Who knows? Neither has ever been a coordinator before so there's no track record. It would be a reach to think those two will be as good as the men they replaced.
Vikings: You can't fault the Vikings for trying. The team is hardly in rebuild mode, even though it's going with basically a rookie quarterback. The Vikes added two big-name defensive linemen in Jonathan Allen and Jason Hargrave, although both are over 30 and likely have their best football behind them. Where the Vikings will live and die is at quarterback with second-year man J.J. McCarthy who missed his rookie season with a knee injury. Minnesota got the most out of retread Sam Darnold, who was really good until it counted, looking like the old Darnod in the last-game-of-the-season loss to Detroit that cost them the No. 1 seed and in the playoff-loss to Los Angeles. Yes, McCarthy won a National Title in college. But there were games where he threw less than 10 passes in a game. That's not going to work in the NFL.