By: Jeremy Trottier

One of the age-long debates you can have for any great player, who is fringe elite, is are they a Hall of Fame player?  This will be the debate had when cornerback Patrick Peterson retires, as he has the stats and career to back up an induction, but will he make it?  In this article, I will be going over whether or not Peterson should be inducted into the Pro Football Hall of Fame in Canton, Ohio, and why I believe he should or should not be.  So, let’s dive right into it.

Has Patrick Peterson made enough of an impact to be a Hall of Famer?

Patrick Peterson, simply put, is one of the best cornerbacks of this era, and I believe fans do not realize how phenomenal he has been.  His longevity alone is a major factor in this discussion, as he has played in 11 seasons, with another coming in 2022.  In these 11 seasons, he has played 167 games, starting all 167, which means he has only missed 11 games in his career, playing 167 of a possible 178. 

Statistically, he has the stats to back up a Hall of Fame induction, with all of the following accomplishments:

• 29 interceptions (1+ every season of his career)
• 96 pass deflections (5+ every season of his career)
• 544 tackles, 4 punt return touchdowns in a season (tied for most ever)
• 195 career punt returns for 1,816 yards and 4 touchdowns
• 90% or more of defensive snaps played every season of his career (9,900 snaps total on defense, + another 1,191 on special teams)

A statistic that is somewhat interesting to look at is the ProFootballReference HOF Monitor, which gives player a grade on their statistics and compares them to every player at all time.  Patrick Peterson ranks 27^th all-time among DBs currently in this, only 2 DBs with a higher grade were not Hall of Famers, those being Darrelle Revis (not eligible until 2023) and Ronde Barber (semifinalist each year since eligibility). 

Now, is this a flawless metric?  No.  But if we are talking purely on a statistical basis, Patrick Peterson should be a Hall of Famer.  Now add in the 8 straight pro bowl appearances, 3 all-pro first-team nominations, all-2010s team nomination, and longevity, and there is a robust case for his Hall of Fame induction. 

The post Is Patrick Peterson a future Hall of Famer? appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

The Minnesota Vikings desperately need more playmakers in their secondary. The Vikings ranked 28th in passing yards per game allowed last season. It’s clear that the 33-year-old Harrison Smith can’t solve all their pain in defending the pass. Smith was a force with three sacks and a career-high 114 tackles last season, but they need more studs in zone coverage and man-to-man coverage.

The Vikings top corner Patrick Peterson is also a free agent in 2022 and it’s unclear if they will bring back Peterson. If they bring him back, It would still be ideal if they add a veteran cornerback on a cheaper deal. If they don’t bring back Peterson, they could replace PP with a potentially more talented veteran CB. The Vikings need to get flat out more productive on defense, but particularly in their secondary.

It would make sense for the Vikings to pursue established cornerbacks in free agency, especially when they have great chemistry on offense with Kirk Cousins, Dalvin Cook, Adam Thielen, and the Top 5 WR Justin Jefferson. So, the question is: which cornerbacks could the Vikings pursue in 2022? Well, here are a few options that make a ton of sense.

Stephon Gilmore

The Minnesota Vikings were once the top trade destination for Stephon Gilmore. They can still have their chance to ink Gilmore in 2022. I believe Gilmore is slightly more talented than Peterson at this stage and they should prioritize him over Peterson. I don’t expect the Vikings to strike for gold with J.C. Jackson (and they really shouldn’t) or bring pack PP, but they should be aggressive at the CB spot with Gilmore on a short-term deal (three-four years). The former Defensive Player of The Year and introvert would be the star in the secondary and he could join a team that’s seeking to wreak havoc in the NFC playoffs.

Sidney Jones

The former Washington Husky has the potential to be a very nice value pickup by Minny. Sidney Jones had two interceptions in 2019 (12 games) and two picks in 2020 (9 games), but I expect his best production is ahead of him. He may be looking to prove himself on a one-year deal and the cap-strapped Vikings could look for a talented CB on the cheaper side of things. If Jones shines in 2022, they can sign the 25-year-old to a long-term contract in the 2023 off-season.

Richard Sherman

The former Stanford WR Richard Sherman may not be the sexiest free-agent target at this stage in his career, but he could be available to the CB-needy Vikings late in the free-agent period. It’s worth noting that Sherman made plays with the Bucs last season and he made the Pro Bowl not too long ago (2019).

I expect Sherman to weigh his options and aim to sign with a talented team with a strong fit for him. I don’t see the top AFC and NFC teams spamming his phone for meetings over dinner, but the talented Vikings with their aching secondary could fit in well with him. Sherman could get in shape with the Vikings during training camp and he could be a quality CB2 on the playoff-hopeful Vikings team.

Jason Verrett

The injury-riddled 49ers cornerback and former first-round pick Jason Verrett has the potential to be a star, but he’s very often injured. Verrett has played only one game in three of the past four seasons. He will surely need to take a prove-it deal with a new team this offseason.

The Vikings could still keep in touch with his agent and scoop him up late in the process. Perhaps, Verrett is due for at least several games of play in 2022. His efforts could prove vital against Aaron Rodgers and other key NFC contenders late in the season. Verrett, who is 5’9, was once the best CB per play over 2014 and 2015.

P.J. Williams

Pro Football Focus nicely stated that P.J. Williams was the Saints most improved player in 2021. Williams, who once projected to be a first-round pick, made big plays (pick-6 against Tom Brady) and laid enormous hits against opposing WRs (such as Chris Godwin).

Williams could be a nice hybrid safety/cornerback addition for the Vikings team that needs talent and versatility in their secondary. Williams is under the radar, which could fit perfectly into the Vikings hands. Williams had a career-high 3 interceptions, career-high 2 sacks, and a career-high 4 QB hits last season.

Honorable mention

J.C. Jackson

It’s not clear where J.C. Jackson will sign in free agency, but it doesn’t appear he will reunite with the Pats. The Vikings are cap-strapped, but they could open up money (Cousins’s or Harrison Smith’s contract?) and lobby hard for the top free-agent CB. There are high-end NFL teams with more money than Vikings like the Kansas City Chiefs, San Francisco 49ers, and Las Vegas Raiders.

Jackson ousted 8 interceptions last season and 9 interceptions in 2020. It’s obvious that Jackson will look to continue pushing for a Hall of Fame career on a quality team. Jackson would bring a huge boost to the Vikings defense and he would really help the Vikings become a key NFC contender in 2021.

Joe Haden

If the Vikings let PP walk out the door, they could replace him with a talented, cheaper CB in Joe Haden. The former Brown and Steelers CB made the Pro Bowl in 2019 and he has 7 interceptions, 35 pass deflections, and he has 155 combined tackles over the past three seasons. The Steelers could let Haden walk and retool their defense with younger studs, too.

Haden isn’t young (32 years old), but he can still play at a high level with the Vikings in 2022 and potentially 2023. Janoris Jenkins was a contributor at 33 years old for the AFC’s one seed in the Titans last season. Trust in Haden being effective for the Vikings in a short-term push for a playoff berth.

The post Cornerback free agent targets for the Minnesota Vikings appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Jake Rajala

The San Francisco 49ers outperformed expectations in 2021 as they snuck into the playoffs from the heroics of Jimmy Garopollo and Ambry Thomas. The genius Kyle Shanahan led his team to upset wins against the Dallas Cowboys and Green Bay Packers in the postseason.

Unfortunately, the universe and Cooper Kupp handed the 49ers a loss in the NFC championship. The 49ers will look to seek revenge in 2022 with Jimmy G Trey Lance and the rest of the blood-thirsty 49ers roster (cough, cough, Nick Bosa).

The 49ers will surely look to bolster their talent this offseason in free agency. The question is: which faces will be on Shanny’s radar this offseason? Well, here are a few available faces that would make a ton of sense.

• Patrick Peterson

The former All-Pro Arizona Cardinal Patrick Peterson could head back to the NFC West and join the CB needy 49ers. The Jason Verrett experiment was over when the 49ers signed him. Verrett played in one game in 2019 and one game in 2021.

Peterson could really help the 49ers combat Cooper Kupp, DeAndre Hopkins, and DK Metcalf. The young CB Ambry Thomas has the potential to be a quality starting CB in the NFL, but the 49ers need a proven, quality contributor at the vital CB position in the near future. PP can be the physical CB they need on the playoff stage.

• Gerald Everett

The 49ers once tried to add Jordan Reed as the number two TE and they somewhat resurrected him, as he recorded four touchdowns in 10 games with them. The 49ers should look at adding a talented TE2 with George Kittle once again.

Gerald Everett would be an interesting fit in the Bay area. The former Ram and current Seahawk had a career-high 478 receiving yards and career-high 4 touchdowns last season. The second-year QB Lance would benefit from Everett in the short passing game and the impressive 49ers play-action game could even improve from the NFC West TE.

George Kittle has also missed 11 games in the past two seasons combined. It may be wise to have a talented backup TE that can step up to the plate when Kittle likely faces more minor setbacks.

• Marcus Mariota

Shanahan will rightfully hand the keys of the Ferrari to Lance, but he’s still not a proven starting QB in the NFL. There’s a slight risk that Lance isn’t the best option to start for the 49ers at a point in the near future. Justin Fields and Zach Wilson faced their fair share of obstacles in 2021 and they weren’t able to hold the starting gig last season. Tua Tagovailoa was often replaced for Ryan Fitzpatrick in his rookie season, as well.

It may be wise for the 49ers to add a veteran QB with starting experience this offseason. Marcus Mariota would be an ideal target for Shanny, as he holds a similar skillset as Lance and they both could run very similar playbooks under the 49ers bright play-caller. Mariota is also 27 years old and it’s possible that he turns around his career in the 49ers scheme and holds down the 49ers starting gig for a long span in 2022 and beyond.

Shanahan was in love with Andy Dalton in the last offseason and he wasn’t happy when he signed with the Bears. The Red Rifle could also potentially be the QB the 49ers target to replace Jimmy G and join Lance. Mariota undoubtedly has more athletic ability than Dalton and Mariota is seven years younger, so I expect Shanahan to be more attracted to the former Heisman winner and Hawaii native in 2022. Although, it’s unclear if Mariota will prefer a destination that gives him a better opportunity to start like the Pittsburgh Steelers or Washington Commanders.

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By: Grant Schwieger

The Minnesota Vikings have set themselves up for a make-or-break year in 2021. They restructured the contracts of Anthony Barr, Adam Thielen, and Britton Colquitt to make more cap space for this season and push more money down the road. Every free agent they signed this year is on a one-year deal besides Dalvin Tomlinson, and even his contract has voided years in the future to create more space for this season. Kirk Cousins is set to have a cap hit of $45 million in 2022 so something likely needs to be done with him after this season as well. Mike Zimmer and Rick Spielman need Minnesota to have a bounce-back year after a disappointing season a year ago. Everyone involved needs the Vikings to return to the upper echelon of the NFC this year, and there are five specific Vikings that need to step up for that to occur.

5. Anthony Barr

Anthony Barr has become a very polarizing player during his time in Minnesota. There are groups of fans who constantly bark about his contract being too much, and others, including Mike Zimmer, who will not hesitate to go to bat about the importance of Barr to the Vikings’ defense.

A lot of Barr’s value stems from intangible things that fans cannot pick up on just watching games on TV. He is the one Zimmer communicates with on game days and is vital in getting the rest of the defense lined up and positioned correctly. This allows his running mate Eric Kendricks to roam freely. Kendricks has made a name for himself over the last few seasons as one of the best linebackers in the NFL, however, Barr is scrutinized for being the most expensive LB on the team.

Zimmer’s defense will certainly benefit from having Barr back on the field in 2021 after he missed almost all of 2020, but there is no question Barr can take his play on the field up to the next level. He has shown he can be an elite LB in all aspects of the game, run defense, pass-rushing, and coverage. It has just been a few years since we have seen them all on display at once. Every healthy season of his career has seen Barr register 100+ snaps in run defense, pass-rushing, and coverage, and it has been documented many times that he is a player opposing offenses need to keep an eye on. If both numbers 55 and 54 can be problems for opponents this season, the Vikings’ defense should take a big leap forward.

4. Patrick Peterson

While the rest of the Vikings on this list are entering at least their second year with the team, Patrick Peterson’s role and impact on this team could not be left off the list. When his career wraps up, Peterson could be looking at induction into the Hall of Fame. However, if he was still playing like a Hall of Famer, he likely would not have hit the free-agent market. At age 31, Peterson may not be in his physical prime anymore, but he still is the same player mentally that he was when he was widely regarded as a true lockdown cornerback. Minnesota may have paid a little bit for that mental aspect when they signed him to a deal that was more expensive than most expected. That is not to say he is no longer able to perform well as a #1 CB, he has still shown flashes of that in camp.

Arizona played man coverage at one of the highest rates in the league the last few years, and Peterson has performed much better in zone than in man coverage.

The good news is Mike Zimmer has always run much more zone coverage than man, so there is reason to expect Peterson’s 2021 season to be better than his last couple. Minnesota desperately needs a true #1 CB again after Xavier Rhodes declined and then departed, and Peterson gives them the best chance for that in 2021. He likely will not play the 1,000+ snaps like he regularly did each season for the Cardinals, but 700-800+ snaps of good CB play would do wonders for Zimmer and his defense.

3. Irv Smith Jr

For the final three players on this list, it is not the case of a player returning to a previous form like Barr and Peterson, but more a young player needing to take the next step in their career. Irv Smith Jr has largely been in Kyle Rudolph’s shadow since he was drafted in 2019 but got a chance at the end of 2020 to show what he was capable of doing as a top tight end.

Smith had a top-five PFF receiving grade among all TEs after Week 5 last season, an indication that he can be a huge help to Kirk Cousins and the Vikings offense. The reason for this arbitrary cutoff, however, is that his first four weeks of the season were not good. If he can put together a full season that was like his last nine games, that would be beneficial for the Minnesota offense and for Smith himself as he works towards his second contract. The issue of who the Vikings’ third wide receiver will be would not be nearly as important if Swervin’ Irvin can break through and prove to be a competent TE1 and reliable receiving option.

2. DJ Wonnum

DJ Wonnum might be the player on this list that requires the biggest jump in performance to have a positive impact on this team. Many Vikings fan’s first thought when they hear Wonnum’s name is his strip-sack on Aaron Rodgers to seal the win in Green Bay. Unfortunately for Wonnum, he did not have many other highlights on the season. He had only 22 pressures on 273 pass-rushing snaps, which is a less than stellar rate.

The good news about Wonnum is that the reports out of camp thus far have been positive. He was listed behind Stephen Weatherly on the first Vikings depth chart, but in his sixth NFL season, we know what Weatherly brings to the team. It might not be awful, but it also will not be elite either. Wonnum has the athletic ability to potentially be a much higher impact player for this team, which is why he makes this list. Zimmer and Andre Patterson have been creative with Wonnum this summer, playing him standing up at edge rusher, with his hand in the dirt, and even a little off-ball linebacker.

Fans at US Bank Stadium last Saturday went nuts when Wonnum dropped back in coverage and secured a pick-six. There are no promises that he develops into a quality edge rusher this season, or ever, but he is the Vikings’ best bet to make a big leap this season. The Vikings defensive line is a Wonnum progression away from having a monster lineup all the way across with Danielle Hunter, Dalvin Tomlinson, Michael Pierce, and Sheldon Richardson all in the mix already.

1. Garrett Bradbury

The 2021 Minnesota Viking who undoubtedly needs to step up this year is center Garrett Bradbury. Not only would progression from Bradbury immensely help Kirk Cousins and the rest of the purple and gold offense, but it will also help Bradbury prolong his career. With another disappointing season, Minnesota could look to replace the guy they selected 18^th overall in 2019 to be their center of the future. The issue for Bradbury so far in his career has mostly been his pass blocking.

Plays such as the one above where he loses his rep almost immediately occur way too often and wreck the play before it can get going. His PFF pass-blocking grades in the last 2 regular seasons have both ranked dead last among centers in the NFL. An improvement to average or even slightly below average would be a massive stride for a team whose interior offensive line play over the last few seasons has been some of the worst the league has ever seen.

The good news is that Bradbury has shown signs of being a capable NFL center. His athleticism makes him valuable in the run game out in front of Dalvin Cook. After Week 10 last season, he was actually the fifth-highest ranked center by PFF and had the third-highest run-blocking grade. He fell off after that point in the season, but he exemplified the ability to be the player Minnesota hoped for in a first-round pick. Excelling in the run game and holding his own pass blocking for an entire season would be a massive leap and a step in the right direction for protecting Kirk Cousins and giving him time to find the elite playmakers he has around him.

The post 5 Vikings That Need to Step Up in 2021 appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Grant Schwieger

The 2020 Minnesota Vikings defense was largely an overall dumpster fire. From the pass rush to the run defense to the coverage on the back end, there really were not many positives to take away from the defense last season. This was caused by a multitude of reasons. The Vikings were fairly strapped for cash and lost Xavier Rhodes, Trae Waynes, Mackensie Alexander, Linval Joseph, and Everson Griffen, all key defensive players from 2019, as a result. Minnesota suffered from a lack of depth to begin the season, and that combined with covid opt-outs (Michael Pierce) and injuries (Danielle Hunter, Anthony Barr, Mike Hughes, and eventually Eric Kendricks) made the defense borderline unwatchable by December 2020.

Before the 2020 season started, Mike Zimmer stated “I’ve never had a bad defense. So I don’t anticipate that changing.”

This contributed to many Minnesota faithful having an unreasonable amount of optimism, only to realize Week 1 they needed to tone it down a notch, or five. Zimmer went into the opening game against Green Bay with Mike Hughes, Holton Hill, and Cam Dantzler as his top three CBs. The Vikings gave up 43 points. Hughes and Hill played a combined 428 snaps all season. By season’s end, the top four CBs in terms of snaps played for Minnesota were Jeff Gladney (958), Cam Dantzler (601), Kris Boyd (343), and somehow Chris Jones (267). If you need a second to run to the bathroom to throw up, go ahead. Those four entered 2020 with a combined 374 career NFL snaps. That is far from ideal, and Minnesota spent 2021 making sure that would not be the case this time around.

Entering the 2021 season, the clear top four Vikings CBs are now Patrick Peterson, Bashaud Breeland, Mackensie Alexander, and Cam Dantzler. Those 4 have combined for 18,910 NFL snaps to this point. Just a slight difference from last season! There was a clear emphasis in the offseason to make sure this year’s Vikings squad doesn’t give up the 6th highest success rate on opposing dropbacks (per rbsdm.com) like they did last season. Even the rest of the current 90-man roster has some NFL experience, with Kris Boyd (442 career snaps), Harrison Hand (163), Tye Smith (613), and Parry Nickerson (251) all in camp boasting familiarity in NFL secondaries. Secondaries are mostly a weak-link system, meaning you are only as strong as your weakest player, so it is important for Minnesota to make sure whoever their weakest link is in 2021 is not a deer in headlights. 

The most important part of a weak-link system, however, is to do your best to make sure that your “weakest” link is in fact not weak at all. Not only were none of the Vikings CBs last season experienced, but almost all of them struggled immensely. The good news is that the only one who received a lot of playing time and showed signs of potentially being a quality NFL CB is still looking to be in the rotation this year in Dantzler. He had the 3rd highest PFF grade on the Vikings defense last season, trailing only Eric Kendricks and Harrison Smith. 

In even better news, the Minnesota coaching staff currently does not view Dantzler as a lock to even start, as he has been rotating in with Breeland with the starters so far in camp. Peterson has been locking up one of the outside CB spots and Alexander should likely be the main slot CB to start the season. This should come as good news to Vikings fans because it means the defense once again has solid depth in its secondary. The third and fourth corners on a team will find themselves still being very important to the team, whether it be rotating in during the game or needing to jump in in the case of an injury. So, there is no need to worry about Dantzler’s spot on the depth chart as he will still find plenty of time to make an impact on the field.

While Patrick Peterson’s days of being an elite NFL CB may be behind him, he will certainly still provide value to Mike Zimmer’s defense. His knowledge of the game is top-notch and he is now able to share that with Minnesota’s less-experienced DBs. He was seen on Saturday at the Vikings practice coaching up Dantzler on the best way to strip the ball from the running back. Little things like that veteran players provide were not very common in Minnesota last season and this team should surely benefit from him.

Breeland and Alexander are clear upgrades over what Zimmer had to work with last year as well. Breeland is fresh off of one of the best seasons of his seven-year career and has a Super Bowl ring from 2019 as well. Alexander spent the first four years of his career in Minnesota before a stint in Cincinnati last season. The fact that he decided to return to Minnesota after a year away is a testament to the reputation Zimmer has built here and is a good sign. He has been one of the better slot CBs in the NFL the last few years and hopefully can keep that trend continuing.

While the remaining CBs on the current Vikings roster has a bit of experience, a few of them also have been fairly solid when given the opportunity. Harrison Hand only had 163 snaps as a rookie last season, but he did not get embarrassed on the field which is something not many other 2020 Minnesota corners can say. Tye Smith has also played limited snaps for Tennessee in 3 of the last 4 years and has been reliable when called upon. Coverage can be quite volatile, and there is a key element to this year’s Vikings defense that will hopefully give all of Minnesota’s coverage defenders a boost compared to last season.

The debate between whether coverage or pass rush is more important to an NFL defense can go back and forth forever. One thing that most everyone can agree on, though, is that they both have a direct impact on each other. Good coverage can allow the pass rush more time to get to the QB, and a good pass rush allows those in coverage to cover for a shorter amount of time. With Danielle Hunter back on the field and the additions of Sheldon Richardson and Dalvin Tomlinson among others, the Vikings pass rush should certainly improve. In fact, it really cannot get much worse than it was in 2020. This should take some pressure off the Minnesota secondary and put them in more situations to succeed.

At the time when Mike Zimmer boldly stated he had never had a bad defense, he was not that far from the truth. Of course, once that quote backfired on him he got roasted for it, but there is no doubt he is going into 2021 ready to get his defense back to where it usually is, at the top of the league. He clearly wanted to spend this past offseason emphasizing improving his defense and it appears he has done so. Zimmer is considered a “CB guru” by many and his defense’s success will start and stop with his bread and butter. Between their upgraded skills, depth, and experience at the position and the improved pass rush, there are a plethora of reasons for optimism in the Minnesota defensive backfield for 2021.

The post Why you should be optimistic about the Vikings CBs appeared first on Pro Football Mania.

By: Tayyib Abu

The Green Bay Packers season came to a shuddering halt as they got beaten by the eventual Super Bowl champs Tampa Bay Buccaneers. The Packers rolled into the playoffs with home-field advantage.

Aaron Rodgers was the MVP in waiting, Devante Adams enjoyed a monstrous season, and Aaron Jones rumbled his way to a strong rushing season. It seemed like another title beckoned for the team from title-town. Then, they ran into Tom Brady’s Bucs; the Packers defense came up short on high-leverage situations.

The unit surrendered vital third-down conversions in the early part of the Buccaneers game. That allowed Tampa to generate confidence and put points on the board. The touchdown on the stroke of half-time broke the back of the Packers.

From that moment, the Packers’ fate got sealed. Now is the Green Bay front office’s time to assess the roster’s state; Aaron Rodgers is returning; therefore, the offense will fly like it did in 2020. The majority of the pieces are in place for Green Bay to once again contend in the NFC.

The division is theirs by default, the rest of the NFC North stinks. Brian Gutekunst must sign some game-changers on defense. The Packers are one or two pieces short of the puzzle, they can find them in free agency.

The Packers ranked 20th in pass-rush win rate in 2020, the Bucs as a comparison finished fifth. The Packers can improve in this area. That can make an already fantastic team, even better. The free agency class boasts plenty of defensive studs for Green Bay to acquire.

JJ Watt

The bombshell news broke on Friday: JJ Watt is no longer a Houston Texan. The future Hall of Famer is now a free agent for the first time in his legendary career.

The Wisconsin native is a natural fit for the Packers. With Green Bay employing a 3-4 base formation last season, Watt can fit in as a defensive end without lining up on the edge. At 31, Watt is not as explosively dominant anymore.

Nonetheless, Watt offers insane power and experience to a defense that needs it. Watt can play alongside the nose-tackle, he can be a battering ram at the five-tech.

Watt made over 50 tackles in 2020, while notching 17 quarterback hits. The Packers own strong pass-rushing talent. As the Bucs displayed in the Super Bowl, sacks and pressures get created through scheme and play-design.

Adding Watt provides the Packers with a new element to dial up pressure. Teams might double-team him in early-downs, which could allow Preston Smith or Rashan Gary a one on one matchup.

Watt is still physically very strong, very disruptive; the Packers might be the best landing spot for Watt. And Green Bay might get a perfect piece with Watt.

Von Miller

The Super Bowl 50 MVP Von Miller is an unrestricted free agent. Miller missed all of the 2020 season due to injury.

There are concerns about Miller’s rehabilitation and whether he is still the dominant pass-rusher from a few years ago. Miller inked a massive $114 million deal post-Super Bowl 50.

He will not command that price tag now after a year spent on the sidelines. Miller is tailor-made for the Packers defense. Miller understands a 3-4 base formation.

That is what he played in Denver, we all remember Miller and Demarcus Ware terrorizing offenses in the 2015 postseason. Regardless of how players age, elite stars never lose their football IQ, which will stay with them forever. With his elite skills at the scrimmage line, Miller’s IQ makes him an irresistible option.

Miller provides Super Bowl-winning pedigree to a team that requires someone to take that final step. It might be time for a fresh start for him; he’s used to playing in Denver’s cold weather, Green Bay shouldn’t be an issue. It might add more problems to the Packer depth chart; overall Miller is still an upgrade on what the Packers already have.

Patrick Peterson

After getting torched by Scotty Miller on a back-breaking touchdown play, Kevin King might not stay in Green Bay for much longer. The cornerback is a free agent; if it were up to Packer fans, he’d have gone after that game.

Enter Patrick Peterson. The veteran corner is also a free agent, and Green Bay is an excellent spot for him. Peterson can slot in as the number two corner opposite superstar Jaire Alexander.

That can take away some of Peterson’s pressure; the Packers wouldn’t force Peterson to become the main man. Three interceptions and 61 total tackles were the headline figure for Peterson’s 2020 season.

The concerns are that Peterson allowed a 98.2 passer rating when targeted. That is alarmingly high. One could argue that Peterson got attacked more as he often lined up against the opponents top receiver.

In Green Bay, that would not happen. Peterson’s strengths are his athleticism, and his rangy build makes him a physical nightmare for opponents.

He is a fabulous open-field tackler; his missed tackle percentage was 7.6% in 2020. Lower than his totals in the previous two years. Peterson’s leadership, skill and on-field presence is a massive boon if the Packers can land him.

The post Top Defensive Free Agents for Packers to Target appeared first on Pro Football Mania.