Packers' roster needs and possible big additions left to make before the season

I don't see the Packers adding more impactful players before training camp. First of all, it's hard to find them at this point in the offseason, but also because general manager Brian Gutekunst has given the young players opportunities to step up and show what they've got before adding veterans.

I do think the Packers should have invested more in cornerbacks and wide receivers in the draft, but I also understand their draft capital usage to some degree. Those will be long-term needs, and not ones that can be solved in late free agency.

Jayden Reed was closer to that as a rookie in 2023, but I don't think he will have enough volume to produce much more in 2024. In terms of ceiling, Christian Watson and Dontayvion Wicks seem to be the most likely alternatives, but Watson has to stay healthy, and Wicks has to step up from the get go as a primary target — which is not a given, considering young players' developments are not always linear.

I don't think the 1,000-yard mark is that important, but it is important to have a reliable option to trust on decisive downs. By the end of last season, Romeo Doubs was that piece, but we have to understand that his ceiling to be a highly productive receiver is limited.

In my mind, the Packers would have to find a reliable top receiver because it's hard to be a consistently good offense without one, but I also trust Matt LaFleur and Jordan Love to figure it out.

It's a possible outcome, but I don't think it's a given. The draft is always hard to project, because the NFL is simply a different reality. The offensive line lost David Bakhtiari, Jon Runyan, and Yosh Nijman, and this is a pretty strong group of players.

Regarding the secondary, we might say that the cornerback group is mostly the same, and Kalen King is a bonus as a seventh-round pick. However, they are counting heavily on Carrington Valentine being as good as he was last year, or better.

The safeties and linebackers are most likely better than last year's option, but Jeff Hafley and his new coaching staff will have a big role developing these players and putting them in favorable positions early on, just like Matt LaFleur did with the offense last season.

I have covered the NFL in some capacity for 12 years, but especially over the last two years I haven't had much time to digest the offseason. It's always thinking about content, structuring the offseason in a way to always have something to write about. Purely as a fan, I suggest you watch some full games or at least full highlights of games. Sometimes, we can get lost just watching positive plays and positive moments, getting far away from reality.

It's always important to keep things in perspective to not overvalue OTAs, training camp, and preseason. One step at a time, we always reach September.

As mentioned in the first questions, I don't foresee any big move for the Packers. That being said, I would love a trade for Brandon Aiyuk. He is an alpha, top level receiver, and he knows the base of the system coming from an offense with the same schematic tree. But at the same time, it's hard to trade a future first-rounder without knowing where that pick will end up, and it's basically impossible to acquire him without using that.

This is what running backs coach Ben Sirmans said when asked about AJ Dillon's return in free agency:

"When you look at the way we played towards the end of the season, I think that's the guy that you're going to get – a guy that's going to play with that type of urgency, that type of attitude and besides that, I'm glad we have him back because he helps Josh out tremendously."

So yes, I do think AJ Dillon will easily make the 53-man roster. While he hasn't justified being a second-round pick, that doesn't matter anymore. He is a solid player, even though he's not an explosive one, and can certainly be a viable running back two. Ideally, MarShawn Lloyd will overtake that position, allowing Dillon to be RB3, a real backup, and that would be even better for Green Bay.