Green Bay Packers 2010 in Review: A Look to the Off-Season (Part 4 of 4)

The 2011 off-season has been troubling to date. With the NFL's collective bargaining agreement (CBA) expiring on Thursday, the potential for a 2011 lockout looms bigger than ever. It does not appear that the conflict between the NFL team owners and the Player's Union will be resolved and a new CBA will be put into place before the current agreement expires.

If no agreement is reached, the players will be locked out - players won't be able to work out at team facilities, teams can't conduct organized team activities, such as mini-camps, and the free agency period will not begin.

The lockout potential affects all teams as the 2011 season (hopefully) approaches.

The Green Bay Packers

In 2010 the Packers were one of the youngest teams in the NFL. They also experienced a heavy dose of injuries throughout the season. That makes 2011 exciting for Green Bay.

The Packers will experience a talent influx as injured players return to the team. 2010 starters like Jermichael Finley, Nick Barnett and Morgan Burnett will be thrown back into the mix as the team looks to return to the Super Bowl.

One of the problems the Packers will face in the off-season is making room for the injured players to return to the roster. This is most notable at the middle linebacker position.

Nick Barnett and Brandon Chillar, both inside linebackers, had season-ending injuries last year. A.J. Hawk and Desmond Bishop stepped up to handle most of the middle-linebacking duties. Bishop was rewarded for his play with a 4-year contract extension.

Deciding whether to keep A.J Hawk or Nick Barnett is a different story. Hawk's contract calls for a base salary of $10 million next year. Barnett has suffered season-ending injuries two out of the past three years. It appears that there is not room for both of these players on the Packer roster, one issue Green Bay will have to deal with.

As much as I love Nick Barnett, I feel the Packers need to attempt to re-negotiate a contract that will keep A.J. Hawk in a Packer jersey for years to come. Hawk struggled with the 3-4 defense early in its inception, but has developed into a vital part of Dom Capers' scheme. He led the Packers in tackles in 2010.

Another issue the Packers will need to address is their free agents. The Packers have several players with expiring contracts. Most notable is Cullen Jenkins. It is highly likely Jenkins will not be re-signed by the Packers and will be playing football elsewhere next fall. I would expect Mike Neal to move into the starting defensive end role.

Several other players, including John Kuhn, Atari Bigby, Jason Spitz, Mason Crosby, James Jones, Charlie Peprah and Brandon Jackson are also facing free agency. Expect the Packers to re-sign many of these players to contract extensions.

The Packers have several areas to address in the 2011 NFL Draft. First, another offensive lineman is a necessity. Bryan Bulaga took over for Mark Tauscher last season, but the aging Chad Clifton will soon need to be replaced. T.J. Lang has seen playing time at tackle, but he has been streaky at best.

The Packers also need to address their defensive line. The 3-4 defense Dom Capers runs rotates defensive lineman in and out constantly. If the Pack lose Jenkins to free agency, more depth will be necessary on the defensive line.

Expect the Packers to draft a defensive back, a corner most likely, as well. Charles Woodson is aging, and Jarrett Bush is of more use as a special teamer than a dime-back. Several other positions could be impacted depending on what free agents the Packers are able to re-sign.

After a Championship 2010 season, the Packers rewarded Mike McCarthy with a 3-year contract extension that pays him around $5 million per year, putting him among the top ten highest paid coaches in the NFL. Green Bay's general manager Ted Thompson also received a contract extension (note: of the 53 Green Bay players active for the Super Bowl, 49 were acquired by Thompson, 26 through the draft).

The threat of a lockout has tarnished the end of the 2010 NFL season. If the 2011 season starts as planned, the Green Bay Packers will certainly be a favorite to make a playoff run once again.

Packers 2010:
Part 1: The Regular Season
Part 2: The Playoffs
Part 3: The Super Bowl