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Eight NFL teams that must ace free agency in 2017

It's time for the Packers to get Aaron Rodgers some help.
Kim Klement, USA Today Sports

Green Bay Packers

Green Bay Packers and Mike McCarthy need to ace free agency.

Under the direction of general manager Ted Thompson, the Packers have remained extremely quiet in free agency. It’s a philosophy that has worked out well for the team in the past. Build through the draft and avoid cap-crushing free-agent contracts. It’s to the point that the team’s most-notable free agent additions over the past half decade are Julius Peppers and Jared Cook.

Unfortunately for Green Bay, it continues to fall behind the pack (pun intended) when it comes to other NFC contenders. That was evident this past season after the Packers were humiliated by the Atlanta Falcons in the NFC Championship Game.

If it weren’t for a tremendous run from Aaron Rodgers in the second half of the season, this team would have missed out on the playoffs altogether. There’s simply too many holes to fill for the Packers to rely solely on the draft as a way to play catch-up in the NFC.

There have been recent reports that Thompson and Co. might be more active in free agency than in year’s past. But these are the same reports that have come up prior to free agency in each of the past five years. Ultimately, Green Bay has strayed away from adding top-end talent on the open market.

That must change in 2017. The Packers currently have $43.6 million to spend in free agency. They can also save $10-plus million against the cap by releasing Clay Matthews. Though, that in and of itself would be foolish.

This is where the central focus in Green Bay needs to be on improving its defense. Matthews has been playing out of position consistently over the past two seasons. That’s primarily due to the Packers’ struggles at middle linebacker. Maybe Green Bay could find a way to play Matthews at his more natural EDGE position by adding Pittsburgh Steelers linebacker Lawrence Timmons to the mix.

Either way we spin it, the Packers simply can’t sit back and wait for the draft to improve their roster. They are no longer at the point where they have that capability. Whether it’s adding players to the defensive front seven or a legitimate starting running back, Green Bay must ace free agency. It has the cash. The market is there. It’s now all about going away from what’s increasingly become a dogmatic approach.

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