There has been a lot of emphasis this offseason on the Green Bay Packers and what they have done to fix one of the more disappointing defensive units around the league. General manager Ted Thompson used his first four picks in the 2017 NFL Draft to add to this ground, using a pair of second-round selections on defensive backs Kevin King and Josh Jones. The team used a third-round pick on defensive tackle Montravious Adams.
In Free Agency, the Pack signed defensive end Ricky Jean-Francois while cornerback Davon House is back after a two-year stint with the Jacksonville Jaguars. All the team has to do is fix a unit that was ranked 22nd in the league overall in total yards allowed per game and next-to-last in the NFL against the pass. But speaking of the aerial game, quarterback Aaron Rodgers also got a lot more help in free agency and the draft. Could the two-time NFL MVP be getting ready to put up some all-time numbers?
Look at the weapons
The returning cast is impressive. The Green Bay Packers have a wide receiving corps that already included Jordy Nelson, Davante Adams, Randall Cobb, Jeff Janis and Geronimo Allison.
The ground game is now in the hands and feet of Ty Montgomery, the one-time wideout turned running back. Rodgers comes off a season in which he led the NFL with 40 touchdown passes while throwing only seven interceptions. But free agency proved to be very fortuitous for this club, adding tight ends Martellus Bennett and Lance Kendricks.
The Packers also signed veteran guard Jahri Evans to take the sting out of losing T.J. Lang to the Detroit Lions. And it’s also worth noting that the club used its final six picks in April on the offensive side of the ball. Three of those choices were at running back as Thompson grabbed Jamaal Williams (4b-BYU), RB Aaron Jones (5b-UTEP) and Devonte Mays (7-Utah State).
The team also drafted two more wide receivers (Nelson enters his 10th NFL season) via Deangelo Yancey (5-Purdue) and Malachi Dupre (7b-LSU). And former South Florida center Kofi Amichia was a sixth-round selection.
What’s in store?
As a brief reminder, it was Denver Broncos quarterback Peyton Manning who set the NFL record in 2013 by throwing 55 touchdown passes. So can Aaron Rodgers possibly take a crack at that mark? Dating back to 2011, his production is absolutely off the charts. In 88 regular-season contests with the Green Bay Packers, the prolific performer has thrown an astounding 210 TD passes while being picked off just 40 times. In 39 of those outings, he threw for at least three scores.
Yes, Rodgers played in only nine games in 2014 due to injury. But still, consider that he has not thrown at least 10 interceptions in six consecutive seasons. With all the weapons and a ground attack that figures to be better than it was a year ago, it’s very conceivable that Aaron Rodgers is capable of becoming the third player in NFL history (Tom Brady with 50 in 2007) to reach the half-century mark in terms of TD tosses in a season. However, the drive to 55 could be considerably longer.