The Green Bay Packers season is in a precarious position heading into Week 8. They have lost three straight and have dropped under .500 after another upset loss. This time to the Washington Commanders on Sunday.
For a team that has Super Bowl aspirations, that is well below expectations and is why there is a strong chance they could swing a trade or two to improve their chances of achieving their season goal.
With two-time reigning NFL MVP Aaron Rodgers back on the roster, the Packers had high hopes heading into the 2022 season. It’s understandable since the team finished 13-4 last season and was left with a bad taste in their mouth after being ousted in the divisional round of the playoffs by the San Francisco 49ers.
Yet, this season has been filled with frustration as they head into Sunday at 3-4. After getting off to a fast start by winning three of their first four, they have suffered three straight losses, and two to New York’s football teams. The worst came in Week 6 when the Jets pushed the Pack around at home en route to a shocking 27-10 victory.
Related: NFL QB rankings – We rank the best players at the quarterback position heading into Week 7
The major weaknesses in the Green Bay roster have started to show over the last couple of weeks and if they have any hopes of even winning their division they need to address them at the NFL trade deadline, if possible. With that in mind, let’s take a look at six players the Green Bay Packers could target ahead of the Nov. 1 deadline.
Jarvis Landry, wide receiver
It looks like it could be a lost season for the New Orleans Saints when they fell to 2-5 after a Thursday night loss to the Arizona Cardinals. It could mean the team starts to move a few expandable talents with value so they can gain some draft capital for next April. One of those players could be wideout Jarvis Landry.
The former Dolphins and Browns star was a late offseason free-agent addition and has not risen beyond a WR. With Michael Thomas healthy and rookie Chris Olave off to a strong start. While Landry isn’t the player that earned five trips to the Pro Bowl anymore, he is still a threat in the passing game. And with Sammy Watkins still recovering from an injury and Randall Cobb possibly out for a month, Landry would be a solid addition at a cheap rate.
DJ Moore, wide receiver
While there is doubt the Carolina Panthers will trade top receiver, DJ Moore, they also claimed Christian McCaffrey was not available and then traded him to the 49ers. It may not be in the Panthers’ best interest right now to trade him, but if they can get good draft picks in return they need to pull the trigger.
Moore is having a down year, but the three seasons where he racked up 1,100 yards or more with the likes of Sam Darnold and Baker Mayfield at QB show how gifted he is. The Packers don’t need Moore but they have had problems filling the hole left by Davante Adams. The Panthers star may not be as good as Adams, but with Rodgers as his QB, he may become pretty close.
Da’Ron Payne, defensive tackle
While the Packers’ defense has been exceptional at slowing down passing attacks — they have the best passing yards per game average in the NFL — they have been terrible at slowing down the run. Multiple teams have run all over them in 2022 and several backs have had 100-yard rushing games. One player that could help seal up some of those rushing lanes is Washington Commanders tackle Da’Ron Payne.
Payne will be a free agent after this season and the team passed on extending him in the summer. With the Commanders falling to 2-4 and likely losing starting QB Carson Wentz for the foreseeable future, they could and should trade Payne. He is off to another strong start with three sacks for a Commanders’ defense that has been solid. His value will never be higher and Washington is in need of draft picks to fix the various issues around the roster.
Mike Gesicki, tight end
Despite being hit with the franchise tag in the offseason and seeming like a key part of the offense, Mike Gesicki is in the midst of a down year. Sure, the Miami Dolphins have been without starting QB Tua Tagovailoa for two and a half games. But even when he was healthy and the offense was running on all cylinders, the 2018 second-round pick wasn’t targetted often.
As a player headed to free agency and not playing well, Gesicki could come cheap, and be a different path to go to improve the passing game if they can’t land an impact receiver before Nov. 1. He would also be an upgrade over Robert Tonyan, who has offered little this season.
Chase Claypool
The Pittsburgh Steelers seem headed to a top-10 draft pick in 2023 and may see an upside in trading off some of their pieces to acquire more draft picks for next year. One player that has garnered a lot of interest is WR2 Chase Claypool.
With the team already having a strong WR1 in Diontae Johnson, and rookie George Pickens leading the team in receiving yards, Claypool has quickly become expendable and could easily turn into the Pack’s WR1 with Rodgers as his QB. That is how high his potential is and why Green Bay could make a push for him at the deadline.