Thursday Cheese Curds: Packers need to turn their attention to offense

To me, team building is one of the most interesting aspects of following the NFL. How a given team is constructed is fascinating, and this offseason has presented an interesting case study in Green Bay.

After the team’s season-ending loss to the 49ers, the discussion around the Packers centered around two big questions: should (or would, given his say in the matter) the Packers retain Aaron Rodgers, and what should they do if he stays?

We knew that retaining Rodgers would free up some cap space, but I don’t think anybody anticipated what came next: the Packers used virtually all their space to bring back their defensive talent. Even after clearing enough space to bring Davante Adams back on the franchise tag, the Packers dealt their star receiver to the Raiders. If you believe the reporting about what Aaron Rodgers knew of the deal concerning Adams and when he knew it, that plan was apparently in the works for a while, too. The plan all along, it seems, was to spend on the defense.

That’s a fascinating approach, regardless of whether it’s right or not. The Packers still have holes on offense — holes we knew about months ago. That it’s late March and they haven’t addressed them in any substantive way is equally fascinating, and it adds some stakes to next month’s NFL Draft that wouldn’t have been there — or at least not quite in the same way — had the Packers spent anything at all on offense to this point.

The Packers can still address some of their offensive holes prior to the draft, but no matter what they decide, the story of the 2022 Packers roster is already an interesting one.

Packers’ free-agency focus was defense; draft must be about offense | ESPN

The Packers retained most of their defensive talent through free agency, so the draft will almost have to be about the offense.

Getting to Know Jarran Reed | Packers.com

Larry McCarren takes a look at what big-bodied Jarran Reed has to offer the Packers’ defense.

Which veteran WRs could be trade targets for Packers? | PackersWire

There’s more than one way to spend a draft pick on a wide receiver. Here are some swaps that might fit what the Packers are looking for.

Malik Willis: 2022’s Most Boom-or-Bust Draft Prospect | Football Outsiders

Willis has intriguing game, but there are real concerns, too, particularly when it comes to his level of competition.

Venice hotels arming guests with water guns to ward off seagulls | UPI

The seagulls chose this war, but we’ll finish it. Peace was never an option.