This is the time of the year in the National Football League where all 32 teams are busying slapping franchise tags on players, trimming their rosters of players that will enable them to get under the salary cap, while re-signing performers to keep them off the open market. As for those aforementioned players who saw their contracts terminated, they don’t have to wait until 4:00 pm ET on March 14 to sign with another club. Hence why cornerbacks David Amerson and Vontae Davis are now members of the Kansas City Chiefs and Buffalo Bills, respectively.
Defensive end Muhammad Wilkerson falls under that category as well. So could the 30th overall pick in the 2011 NFL Draft by the New York Jets be trading in his Green and White duds for the Green and Gold of the Green Bay Packers?
In for a visit
On the final day of February, the seven-year defensive end was let go by the organization that drafted him. Now, courtesy of Josh Alper of Pro Football Talk, Wilkerson was scheduled to meet with the Green Bay Packers on Thursday. He would be an excellent addition to a defensive unit that has had its issues for numerous years. In 2017, the club finished 22nd in the NFL in total yards allowed per game. The Pack was 17th in the league vs. the run and 23rd vs.
the pass. Green Bay surrendered 40 offensive touchdowns in 16 regular-season outings (30 through the air) and permitted an even 24.0 points per game. Combine that defensive inefficiency and injuries with the fact that quarterback Aaron Rodgers played in only seven games and it’s no wonder that McCarthy’s club missed the playoffs for the first time since 2008.
The Packers dropped their final three contests to finish 7-9 – the club’s first losing campaign since ’08.
What could Wilkerson bring to this team?
The Green Bay Packers’ disappointing 2017 showing on defense wound up costing coordinator Dom Capers his job. Enter Mike Pettine, who has seen his share of NFL football both as an assistant and an NFL head coach.
He also knows a little something about Wilkerson. Pettine was the defensive coordinator of the Jets from 2009-12, meaning he saw the talented lineman during his first two NFL campaigns. In seven seasons, Wilkerson has missed only seven games while making a total of 101 starts. He’s totaled 44.5 sacks, 11 forced fumbles and two interceptions while knocking down 28 passes. But one thing the seven-year pro has never done is suited up for an NFL playoff game. If he manages to find a home with Green Bay, could he help the Packers get back to the postseason? Stay tuned.
