NEWSLETTER
The Packers cleared the deck the last two years, firing their general manager and head coach as part of a wave of changes at the top. Now the trickle-down effect is resulting in an influx in new players, including a player Bears fans are very familiar with.
BYE, FELICIA:
The #Packers aren’t done: They are also signing #Bears S Adrian Amos, sources say. Two big deals, two huge additions on D. A former rival comes to Green Bay.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 12, 2019
WELP, former Bears safety Adrian Amos is headed north of the border to play for That Team in Wisconsin. Thank you for the very good years. We wish you good health, a massive contract, and terrible, terrible performance (especially against the Bears) in the years to come. But also … ugh. That was painful to type.
After all, Amos helped put an end to the revolving door of disappointment that was the Bears safety position before he arrived as a late-round pick in 2015. Now he is in a position to do that in Green Bay, where the secondary play has been lacking in recent years. YUCK!
Indeed, Amos was a fifth-round pick in 2015, developed into a durable and dependable strong safety under John Fox, Vic Fangio, and Ed Donatell, and shined while playing next to All-Pro Eddie Jackson the last two seasons. Playing with Jackson had its perks, to be sure. But don’t underestimate the strides Amos took himself, especially after being benched in favor of Quintin Demps at the start of the 2017 season.
Amos bounced back when Demps was sent to IR, then took off when given the starting job. He turned into an analytical darling who Pro Football Focus put on the cusp of elite status before the start of the 2018 season and Bleacher Report ranked as football’s top-rated free safety after his breakout 2017 campaign. Sure, Deon Bush could fill in as a starter and play capably – as he did for Eddie Jackson while he was playing next to Amos. But this is a bitter pill to swallow. The Packers are getting a good one.
And to think, that’s just the beginning for a revamped Packers defense:
.@RapSheet: Packers expected to sign LB Za'Darius Smith (by @SNICKERS) pic.twitter.com/oeLIGJGuyw
— NFL (@NFL) March 12, 2019
Alright, so I see the Packers aren’t taking back-to-back losing seasons lightly. Adding ex-Ravens pass-rusher Za’Darius Smith in front of Amos in the secondary goes a long way toward re-shaping Green Bay’s roster.
The NFC North arms race is heating up. Game on.
