Nick Perry, outside linebacker, Green Bay Packers
The Packers have had a mixed bag of free agency outcomes so far. They landed Martellus Bennett, which was a move Aaron Rodgers most definitely approved of, but they also let guard T.J. Lang head to a division rival, which Rodgers must hate.
Then there was the move to retain pass rusher Nick Perry, which, on paper, makes a ton of sense. Pass defense has been an issue (No. 31 in the league last year), and the best way to combat that is consistent pressure up front.
The USC product had a breakout campaign in 2016, logging 11 sacks and showing up strong against the run. It’s impossible to know if this is just the start of a new trend or the result of being in a contract year, however. The Packers had been waiting four years for Perry to finally break out after selecting him in the first round of the 2012 NFL Draft, but it didn’t happen until he had to show up big to get paid big.
It’s always a bit of a red flag when a player somehow transforms himself into a game-changing player in a contract year after being generally ineffective otherwise. We’ll be keeping a close eye on Perry’s effort and productivity in the next couple of seasons.