The Green Bay Packers’ fanbase is spending most of its attention looking at the defensive players the team might be picking up as the offseason rolls on. Now that there is a wide receiver that could fall into the team’s lap, offense might be on the menu yet again. Aaron Rodgers already has some new weapons to play with this season, thanks to the signing of not one, but two tight ends.
The Kansas City Chiefs releasing Jeremy Maclin means the Pack could be getting a Pro Bowl caliber receiver to really juice up the offense. The Chiefs cut Maclin because he was going to count too much towards their cap, but it’s possible he can now be had for a decent price, at least one that is good enough for a one year deal and a run at the Super Bowl.
Maclin would make the wide receiver corps among the best in the NFL
With Jordy Nelson coming off one of the best seasons a Green Bay Packers receiver has had and Davante Adams looking like someone who is going to step up, there are plenty of people who likely feel as though the addition of Maclin is not needed. The offense, under Rodgers, didn’t have any problem moving the ball through the air a year ago.
The real problem for the Pack was establishing a ground game. No, the Green Bay Packers aren’t going to be improving their running game by signing yet another receiver. Of course, there isn’t a running back out on the free agent market that could bring the kind of game changing presence Maclin can bring.
Are injury concerns bigger than we’re led to believe
While the Chiefs are saving themselves $10 million in cap space by cutting Maclin after June 1, one has to wonder if a team that could use a weapon at receiver was all about saving money. The former University of Missouri player got himself 87 catches in the 2015 season. That number dropped to 44 last year.
Crazy business this is...appreciate y'all #ChiefsKingdom
— Jeremy Maclin (@jmac___19) June 2, 2017
Some of the drop-in production has to do with him missing four games, but are whatever hampered his 2016 season gone and healed? Kansas City entered the offseason with the expectations that he would be playing a role in the coming season.
While the receiver has appeared and participated in all the offseason OTAs so far, it’s not clear whether the team felt he wasn’t quite at full speed.
By all accounts, the release of Maclin was unexpected. If he was showing signs of an injury, it would seem as though his release might not nearly be as big as a surprise. If he is healthy, the Green Bay Packers should at least kick the tires on Jeremy Maclin.