Packers Get Second Chance at Karlos Dansby
They passed on him once before. Should they again?
By contributor
The Green Bay Packers had an opportunity to sign Karlos Dansby in 2014 when he was an unrestricted free agent but elected not to. At the time, the Packers felt they were fine at the inside linebacker position with A.J. Hawk and Brad Jones. Unfortunately, Hawk’s production declined and the team let him go at the end of the season. Brad Jones has also since been allowed to find employment elsewhere. If the Packers want to improve their NFL sports betting odds this season, they have to seriously consider signing Dansby again now that he was let go by the Cleveland Browns.
The Browns released the 34-year-old Dansby because the team wanted to get younger, but Dansby proved that he still had plenty left in the tank after leading the Browns with 108 tackles last season.
While signing Dansby isn’t the long-term solution for the Packers at the inside linebacker position, he would be an upgrade at the position and give the team much needed linebacker depth.
In a league filled with teams usually trying to get younger, Dansby surprisingly has a lot of interest from NFL teams, which means the Packers have a lot of competition and will need to push hard to sign Dansby.
The question on most people’s mind right now is will Packers general manager Ted Thompson get into a bidding war for the services of a 34-year-old veteran?
Going by what Thompson has done on the past, the Packers might place a phone call to Dansby’s representatives and discuss how much they are willing to pay for his services. If the negotiations turn into a bidding war with other teams, the Packers will likely turn their focus on another player.
One advantage that the Packers have over most of the teams that will be trying to sign Dansby is the fact that they are a Super Bowl contender. At this stage in his career, Dansby would love to have a chance to compete for a Super Bowl and Green Bay will offer him a sure opportunity to do so.
Having Aaron Rodgers as the quarterback of the team should also help sway Dansby to play for the Packers after dealing with the inconsistent quarterback play in Cleveland.
However, the Packers aren’t the only contenders trying to sign Dansby. There are reports that other contenders like the Cincinnati Bengals and the Arizona Cardinals are also interested in Dansby’s services.
When the Packers passed on the opportunity to sign Dansby in 2014, one of the reasons they refused to pull the trigger was the fact that they would have had to give up a compensatory pick if they signed him. That's not the case this time around.
Since the Packers won’t have to give up the compensatory pick they will receive for losing Casey Hayward in free agency, they might be more motivated to offer Dansby as much money as the Bengals or Cardinals offer him.
If the Packers were able to sign Dansby, it would be a significant upgrade to their linebacker corps, instantly making them better against the run, which is something the team has struggled with in the last few seasons.
Comments (19)
Ferrari Driver
March 20, 2016 at 10:53 am
Pay the man!
jmac34
March 20, 2016 at 10:59 am
Not going to happen.
RVAborn
March 20, 2016 at 11:12 am
Not gonna happen. He'll be too expensive, and there are better (and cheaper) options via the draft. I just really hope we don't go into the season with Ryan/Barrington starting- an average duo at best and that's a quite liberal assessment. The ILB position is/ has been reminiscent of safety a few years ago. As others have stated before, I hope TT "double dips" at that position in the draft.
DrealynWilliams
March 20, 2016 at 09:46 pm
I don't like our current ILB combo either.
Bearmeat
March 20, 2016 at 01:21 pm
I would love it - but it makes too much sense for TT to jump on it. Color me disillusioned.
NickPerry
March 20, 2016 at 01:28 pm
Totally agree Bearmeat, if it makes too much sense it never seems to happen.
Tundraboy
March 21, 2016 at 05:56 pm
Sigh. How, after seeing how we have noone to cover the middle at ILB, and after clearly wanting to move Matthew's back, do they expect to get better? Hope Barrington and Ryan take leaps.? A draft pick surprises and plays at least 8 games? If we're not going to upgrade ILB anytime soon., just say it's not important and we will try to get by with what we have. It's just a joke now.
dobber
March 21, 2016 at 10:06 am
I still wonder how thick Carl Bradford had to be that he couldn't stick as a run-down plugger inside. Sure the Packers have several of those guys, but I liked how he looked on his college tape and his fire. Maybe the light goes on this summer. He's not the answer as a chase ILB, sure, but any added quality would be a bonus.
Tundraboy
March 21, 2016 at 05:58 pm
Good point. Is he really that bad. Maybe he has improved but they are slow to make changes, or try someone else. We may never know.
croatpackfan
March 20, 2016 at 01:37 pm
Once again:
http://www.acmepackingcompany.com/packers-free-agency-2016-news-reports/...
Just to repeat and gain knowledge about FA signing....
Bearmeat
March 20, 2016 at 01:41 pm
See the thing is Croat is that the author makes a couple of false assumptions:
1. How does he KNOW TT even wants to resign some of those players? For instance, Sitton will be 30 and has a bad back. He's been a wonderful player for GB, but IMO it'll be time to move on.
2. The salary cap continues to grow by leaps and bounds. To go back to Sitton: When he signed his deal in 2011 or 2012 (I forget when now), he was in the top 5 in annual money for an OG. Now he's in the 20s. Ditto Aaron Rodgers. Brock Osweiler now makes more than ARod annually. There would be room for a mid-level FA or 2 AND to resign whoever GB wanted to resign.
3. Several positions take more than a year to grow into. Rooks RARELY do well. TE, OLB and DT are on these types of positions. We need help at all three of those positions NOW. I do not want to see another year wasted, with only a puny division title and yet another exit in heartbreaking fashion in the 2nd round of the playoffs because a rookie makes a stupid mistake on defense.
marpag1
March 20, 2016 at 07:38 pm
"Brock Osweiler now makes more than ARod annually."
I don't know how you are calculating this, but ARod's current contract has an average annual salary of 22 million. That's the second highest in the league regardless of position, trailing only the mighty Joe Flacco. Osweiler's contract averages 18 million.
Bearmeat
March 20, 2016 at 08:36 pm
Sorry. You're right. I don't know what I was remembering.
Thegreatreynoldo
March 21, 2016 at 03:33 am
Sitton is the 7th highest paid OG. Lang is tied for 17th (note that Lang can play both guard spots). I foresee some comparative growth in AAV for Sitton, but mostly just cap inflation, and a fair amount of salary growth for Lang, who has really improved. They are good enough to command a lot of guaranteed money. Both have injury troubles, but we have this season to evaluate that. Still, I have no idea whether TT will sign either. I certainly do not agree with Paul's (the author of the article cited by Croat) assertion about older players.
I agree that some modest FA signings at TE and ILB are warranted. I think Dansby could help us, but I don't want to be paying him when he is 36 or 38. If Dansby will take a 1 yr deal, I am very interested. If its 2 years, I am just interested. If its a 3 yr deal with more than $1 million dead money still on the contract, I have mild at best interest.
Littlejim51
March 20, 2016 at 02:18 pm
100+ tackles,lead the Browns great
Can he cover TE over the middle
dobber
March 20, 2016 at 05:00 pm
He can still play and he's truly a multipurpose ILB, but he'll be too pricey for GB's blood and given that they let other possibilities go by this will never happen. ILB just isn't a premium position and I don't think you can bury that much $$ at that position...which is why I think MM and TT are itching to move CMIII back outside. I think Dansby could really help this team, though.
stockholder
March 20, 2016 at 02:19 pm
Not going to Happen. Mathews would be moved back to ILB first.
Packmaniac
March 21, 2016 at 09:31 am
I couldn't believe it when they used the #5 pick in the draft to take an ILB (AJ Hawk) and nowadays I find it hard to believe how little they seem to value to the position. In my opinion, the pendulum needs to swing toward a spot somewhere between the two extremes.
Tundraboy
March 21, 2016 at 06:04 pm
That would be nice. Good perspective on Hawk and Number 5 pick.