Cheese Curds, 7/7: Cap-strapped Packers could still use a few bargain additions

Safety is the big one. Backup quarterback is another. Maybe another defensive lineman as well?

The Green Bay Packers could use a couple of extra bodies at a few specific positions before the start of training camp, with those areas of particular interest. One starting safety position is very much up in the air, and a player like John Johnson III might be a nice fit and a game-changer for the Packers’ defense. Likewise, the defensive line has little to no proven depth, so another veteran body at that position could be a big help.

However, in order to sign someone, the Packers will need to either open up some salary cap space or find an especially good bargain. There’s a good chance that Johnson won’t be the latter, as he’s just 27 years old and coming off a 3-year, $34 million deal with the Browns, who released him as a June 1st cut with a year left. Still, he would be a significant upgrade to a team that’s looking for one of Jonathan Owens, Rudy Ford, and Tarvarius Moore to step up in training camp and take control of a starting job.

As it currently stands, the Packers cap space appears to sit somewhere around $14 million, according to Overthecap.com, but that does not account for the increase in cap number when the regular season begins or having some money left over for in-season additions. As a result, the Packers probably have just a few million to play with, further emphasizing the need to find a bargain if they do go outside the organization.

To get to where they are, however, the Packers have used some creative cap accounting, as they have done and as all teams do these days. That has allowed the team to keep several key players’ cap hits down in 2023 through the use of void years and other mechanisms to spread out the numbers into the future. In today’s curds, let’s look at some of the solid bargains the team does have on its roster that helped them get at least cap-solvent for 2023 and much more.

Green Bay Packers: 10 best salary cap bargains in 2023 | Packers Wire
Yes, some of these players are on rookie contracts, but not all of them. The Packers are getting good deals on players like Jordan Love, Preston Smith, and Rasul Douglas -- at least as far as the 2023 cap is concerned.

Mueller: Identifying each NFC North team’s biggest concern from a GM’s perspective - The Athletic ($)
This former NFL GM sees the Packers' defense as a much bigger concern than the offense. However, he says that the team has "no elite edge rushers," which means he either assumes that Rashan Gary won't play much this season or he forgot about Gary entirely.

20 Days Until Packers Training Camp: 20 Reasons for Optimism - Sports Illustrated
Looking for hope for this team in 2023? Here are a handful of reasons to feel positive with 20 days to go before camp opens.

2023 NFL season: Predicting each NFC team's non-QB MVP | NFL.com
Any argument with Jaire Alexander being the Packers' pick?

How the Packers missed out on Alphonse Dotson, Santana Dotson’s dad | Packers.com
There's a fascinating story about the Packers and Chiefs trying to sign the elder Dotson, with somewhat differing versions from the Chiefs' head scout (as relayed by his nephew) and from the Packers' side (provided by team historian Cliff Christl).

Roller coaster riders in Crandon, Wis., were stuck upside down for hours | NPR
Do we have any readers who were on this ride at the Forest County Festival?