Another football season comes to an end for the Green Bay Packers. While the heartbreaking loss can overshadow the moment, the focus immediately shifts to the 53-man roster and the impending offseason. Rosters change year-to-year and this offseason will be no different, with notable free agents like Bryan Bulaga, Randall Cobb, Tramon Williams and Davon House.
General manager Ted Thompson is smart with his money and won't get into bidding wars with other NFL teams, but he has a tremendous track record of keeping his young, producers in town and paying them well. But as the roster sits now, there are plenty of holes that must be filled over the following months.
Let's take a look at five areas where the Packers must improve this offseason.
Special Teams
For all of the criticism Dom Capers and his defense have drawn over the years, the negative attention should be focused on special teams. Football is a team game and in order to win and contend for championships, you need to play well in all three facets of the game. More than anything in the second half of the season, special teams has been the Packers' Achilles heel.
It wasn't just a matter of punter Tim Masthay's 39 yards per punt over the final eight games or his two punts blocked, the issues go far beyond that. Two blocked punts made up for only a fraction of the seven blocked kicks this season, a glaring problem that can be attributed to coaching and the lack of depth on special teams.
On Sunday, we saw more poor execution and a lack of fundamentals on the Seattle onside kick and their fake field goal that resulted in a touchdown. As SI's Robert Klemko shared on Monday morning, Seattle specifically saw a flaw on Green Bay's field goal unit and attacked it. This doesn't even account for Jones' teammate, linebacker A.J. Hawk who came down after punter Jon Ryan, allowing Gary Gilliam to get wide open for the touchdown.
Many of these issues go back to coaching and while Mike McCarthy is loyal to his staff, it's time to cut ties with special teams coordinator Shawn Slocum. This has been a problem for two seasons now and a new approach to the unit must start with a new coach.
Inside Linebacker
Jones and Hawk not only caused problems on special teams, they also played a key role in the continued demise of Green Bay's inside linebackers. Hawk and Jones were solid as the starters in 2012, but their play has rapidly declined to the point they lost major snaps to Sam Barrington and saw Clay Matthews shift inside.
Naturally, inside linebacker will be a pressing need for Thompson to fill via the 2015 NFL Draft. This is a solid class, with names like Denzel Perryman, Benardick McKinney, and Eric Kendricks. Each of these players have their strengths and weaknesses and would be tremendous additions for Green Bay, but Kendricks might be the best option.
The UCLA linebacker is small for his position standing at only 6'0", he has outstanding instincts and ability to react quickly to the play and does an excellent job finding the ball carrier and bringing him down. Kendricks shows flashes of potential in coverage, but must improve there and with his ability to shed blocks. He offers the nice blend of talent and instincts that Green Bay lacks at the position and would be a great addition to this group.
Right Tackle
As of this moment, Green Bay's right tackle entering the season would be J.C. Tretter. While he certainly was impressive in training camp and during the preseason as the Packers' projected center, a knee injury knocked him out of the lineup and Corey Linsley looked incredible in his place.
Tretter saw a handful of snaps at right tackle against the Buffalo Bills when Bulaga left with a concussion and it went poorly. In just 15 snaps, he generated a -1 pass-blocking grade from Pro Football Focus against a tough Bills' front-four. While it's certainly unfair to expect him to thrive, Green Bay can't feel too comfortable with idea of Tretter as their starter entering training camp.
This leaves Green Bay with the option of re-signing Bulaga or addressing the tackle position in the draft. Bulaga will likely be the top right tackle on the open market and plenty of teams will be in need, but he has a history of knee injuries. Bulaga is only 25 and had a very good season, so it's certainly reasonable to think Green Bay will bring him back. If they are unable to match another team's offer though, right tackle could become a need addressed in round one or two.
Cornerback
The Packers' secondary has certainly shown some growth thanks to the emergence of Ha'Sean Clinton-Dix, Micah Hyde and Morgan Burnett revitalizing his play at strong safety. The safety position is now solidified, but Green Bay could always use more talented corners.
Both House and Williams are free agents, which likely means choosing between a less-experienced, but young and long corner in House versus a battle-tested but soon to be 32-year-old cornerback. Given Thompson's history, he will likely keep House and let the young cornerback see if he can earn a prominent role and potentially fill in for Williams next season.
Even in this scenario, it's important for the Packers to add more depth at cornerback. House has battled shoulder injuries for a few seasons now and if he is out, Green Bay is left with Sam Shields, Casey Hayward, Jarrett Bush and Demetri Goodson. Bush is primarily a special teams player and Goodson only played on special teams as a rookie this season. If a top-rated cornerback falls to the 30th pick and is the best player available, they won't hesitate to select him.
Nose Tackle
Hopes for a turnaround in the middle of the defensive line were lifted when B.J. Raji signed a one-year deal, agreeing to give nose tackle another shot in Green Bay's 3-4 defense. Then just weeks into the preseason, Raji was ruled out for the year with a torn right bicep. In his absence, the Packers had to rely on Letroy Guion as the starter.
Expectations were very low, especially after Guion was pushed around by the Seahawks in Week One. But suddenly, a revenge game against the Minnesota Vikings lit a fire under him and he was efficient by taking up blocks and not getting shoved off the line of scrimmage. He played well enough that he has now become a lower-priority for the Packers to re-sign this offseason.
Even if Guion comes back, he is best served as a rotational player in Capers' defense. Green Bay needs a true nose tackle that can create interior penetration and be a disruptive force against the run and by pressuring the quarterback. A potential fit could be Oklahoma nose tackle Jordan Phillips who stands at 6'6" and over 330 lbs., but is an athletic freak with the potential to develop into a perennial Pro Bowl nose tackle. The Packers will certainly scout Phillips among many others, as they look to add more depth on the defensive line to help get this group back to a top-10 defense.