The Green Bay Packers have been in the market for a versatile pass rusher since losing Clay Matthews to injury. They’ve been linked to a number of players, including Dante Fowler Jr., who they met with on Wednesday.
The 2010 Packers were a team that had a lot of success in the 2010 season. They won their division and made it to the playoffs, but lost in the NFC Championship game.
Jurrell Casey, a free agent, has yet to sign with a club.
Jurrell Casey, a five-time Pro Bowl defensive lineman, is one of the most interesting free agents left on the market, but is he worth pursuing if you’re the Green Bay Packers? According to one expert, this is the case.
With Kingsley Keke, Jack Heflin, and Carlo Kemp listed on the depth chart as the team’s top defensive ends on the right side, the Packers could use some depth on the inside. Keke has been on the non-football injury list and has yet to practice throughout training camp, so his prolonged absence is especially worrisome. As a result, kicking the tires on Casey, who was released by the Denver Broncos earlier this year, wouldn’t hurt.
Casey was set to earn more than $11.8 million this season in Denver, but he’s been available and on the market long enough that he won’t be able to demand anything near that, especially now that he’s returning from an injury that kept him out for the most of the 2020 season.
Casey is a great match for the Packers, according to Bleacher Report’s Maurice Moton, who created a list of NFL free agents who need to be signed “immediately.” Is he correct? Let’s have a look at it in more detail.
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Casey would provide GB with a versatile D-Line presence.
Casey has experience as both a defensive end and a defensive tackle, and he has a history of lining up and swarming opposing quarterbacks from all over the field. When he lines up in the interior of the defensive line (he prefers a 1 or 3 technique), he is more effective, but he has also produced plays and disturbed the backfield when he lines up outside of the tackle (in a 5 technique).
Here are some reasons why Moton believes Casey might be a great fit for the Packers:
Jurrell Casey tore his biceps last season, missing 13 games, but the injury will not ruin his career or his outlook for the 2021 season. Multiple clubs have shown interest in Casey, according to Adam H. Beasley of the Pro Football Network. Despite an injury-shortened 2020 season, the defensive tackle’s résumé is expected to carry a lot of weight. From 2013 through 2019, Casey has at least five sacks in seven straight seasons. He’s a multi-dimensional inside danger who can contribute on all three downs. The 11-year veteran has 85 sacks and 85 tackles for loss.
Casey has also had 8 forced fumbles, 15 pass defenses, five fumble recoveries, and 117 quarterback hits in his career, so he has been a steady performer – with the exception of last season.
Casey’s arrival in Green Bay would need a large sum of money.
Injuries have been a problem for the inside defense in recent years, which is a reason for worry. Casey started to get bitten by the injury bug more often as his time with the Titans dwindled. With a damaged ligament in his knee, he was placed on injured reserve before to the last game of the 2018 season. He missed two games in 2019 due to a shoulder injury, and his three-game stint in Denver was cut short due to a torn bicep. He had only missed two games in his previous seven NFL seasons, and he had played 14+ games in each of his first nine NFL seasons, thus he was very durable every year until his 2020 season with the Broncos.
If he’s willing to play for $5-7 million, or even less, he’d be worth a look if you’re the Packers. Few teams have a roster as strong as the Packers’, and a chance to win a Super Bowl must entice a seasoned pro like Casey. Would he be willing to accept a lower salary to play for a club headed by Aaron Rodgers? Maybe. Maybe not, but Green Bay should call and inquire.
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