Why haven’t Packers made move to keep Emanuel Wilson? | Mailbag
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GREEN BAY − Green Bay Press-Gazette and PackersNews columnist Pete Dougherty responds to reader questions on the hot topics of the Green Bay Packers' offseason.
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Quinoa Bean: I was surprised to learn earlier this week that the Packers have no plans to offer a restricted free agent tender to Emanuel Wilson, which seemed like a no-brainer move. I know the Packers are not in the best shape cap-wise, but Wilson has been a solid backup the last couple of years.
Josh Jacobs had his knee and ankle injuries last year and wasn't at his best, and he's 28 years old and going into his eighth NFL season. So having a good backup for him is going to continue to be important – and MarShawn Lloyd hasn’t shown that he can make it through a preseason and stay healthy, let alone a full regular season. It just seems like we’re creating another need that we didn’t have to create. Any insights on what the Packers were thinking here?
Dougherty: This is one to keep an eye on over the next couple weeks, because it will be a head-scratcher if Wilson leaves for another team. It would leave them with another need, really, a significant one, at the No. 2 RB spot.
I should start by saying the Packers have until March 11 to tender him, so they still could. But ESPN reported that they’re not going to, so let’s assume that report is correct.
Not tendering Wilson the lowest offer in itself only means so much, because it would include the right to match but with no draft pick in return if they don’t match. The question is whether it signals that they’re unwilling to pay him $3.5M this season, which is what that tender would have guaranteed him.
The minimum salary for a player of Wilson’s experience is $1.145M, so there’s room between that and the tender at $3.5M. The second-round tender, which would get them a second-round pick if they didn’t match an offer with another team, is $5.8M.
What surprises me is that they re-signed RB Chris Brooks this week, presumably for more than the league minimum. His two-year deal reportedly is worth $4.85M, or an average of $2.425M per season. Now, we don’t know the breakdown, so we don’t know how much money he’ll receive this year, but it’s safe to assume he received a signing bonus.
Brooks is most assuredly not a No. 2 running back. He’s a third-down specialist, and even then, he’s a guy I’d be looking to replace in that role if I’m the Packers. He might be very reliable with blitz pickup, which is important, but he’s not much of a threat with the ball in his hands as a checkdown receiver.
He also is a core special-teams player, so maybe the Packers consider him an important player because of that. Really, that’s the only thing I see that would justify bringing him back at more than the minimum. But I have trouble thinking there would have been much of a market for him in free agency. And if I’m a defensive coordinator playing against the Packers, I’d feel fine seeing him come onto the field on third downs.
Wilson, on the other hand, is a solid No. 2 running back. He has young legs. He played a key role in the Packers’ win at Pittsburgh. He doesn’t have the special-teams value of Brooks – Wilson only played on special teams as one of the two deep returners on some kickoffs – but he’s a much, much better runner than Brooks with the ball in his hands.
I have to think the Packers are still trying to re-sign Wilson. Maybe the Packers devalue him some because of special teams and because he’s not very good in the passing game (15 catches last year). But he kept the run game afloat last season when he rotated in or Jacobs was unavailable.
Most teams have young backup RBs they like. There’s a slew of them coming out of college every year, too. I’m not sure what kind of market Wilson will have. If the Packers are offering him $2.5M or $3M next season, will another team top that? Maybe.
But as you note, it’s hard to imagine the Packers counting on Lloyd to be their No. 2. He at least appears to have talent, but even including training camps, he’s been healthy for, what, maybe three weeks in two years with the team? He’s played in one game and had an assortment of soft-tissue injuries. He’d come back from one and, in a few days, be out with another.
Maybe the worst of his health issues are behind him, but the Packers surely can’t count on that. So if Wilson signs with another team, the Packers will have a big hole to fill at No. 2 RB. That’s a high attrition position, and the Packers don’t want to overuse Jacobs. They’ll have to do something there, most likely draft a No. 2. But they already have a long list of needs and no first-round pick.
Maybe they have a free-agent contingency in mind. But they better have a good plan in place if Wilson leaves.
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