Favorites: Green Bay Packers Sky Rocket As Favorites To Add 25-Year-Old Game Changer.
The Green Bay Packers will be heading into the 2024 season with a ton of confidence. The 2023-24 post-season proved that this young Packers team can be a true contender for years to come. Now they’ll attempt to put the final touches on their roster to take them from playoff contender to Super Bow contender.
Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report highlighted what Safety Kamren Curl’s addition to the Packers’ defense would mean. Versatility is an important calling card for safeties, especially in today’s defensive meta where the ability to play two-high and move safeties all over the formation is critical.
Kamren Curl can do everything a defensive coordinator is going to ask him to do. According to the 33rd Team, he played 24 percent of his snaps this season in box and 14 percent in the slot, bolstering his resume as a do-it-all weapon in the defensive backfield.
Curl doesn’t have a ton of ball production. That knocks him down this list a few spots. He hasn’t recorded an interception since his rookie season in 2020, but he made a career-high 115 total tackles with an average tackle depth of 2.8 yards, per Sports Info Solutions.
Perhaps going to a new situation will help Curl get his due, but even if it doesn’t, a new team would be getting a versatile safety who isn’t going to be afraid to run the alley and get involved as a run defender.
The Green Bay Packers attempted to fill their need at safety with a few veteran free agents on one-year deals last offseason. They brought over Tarvarius Moore from San Francisco and Jonathan Owens from Houston.
If the Packers can carve out some salary-cap space, then Curl would be a logical target. Darnell Savage, Owens and Rudy Ford are all set to hit free agency, and new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley has a strong background in working with secondaries.
He could help elevate Curl’s game to the next level and add some ball production to his impressive skillset.
Green Bay Packers safety Darnell Savage (26) returns an interception for a touchdown during the second quarter of the wild card playoff game against the Dallas Cowboys Sunday, January 14, 2024 at AT&T Stadium in Arlington, Texas. Mark Hoffman/Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
It is the second straight year in a row that the Green Bay Packers are dealing with major safety concerns in the offseason. All three of the team’s safety starters who played nine or more games in 2023 are unrestricted free agents. For the 2024 season, Darnell Savage, Rudy Ford, and Jonathan Owens are not under contract.
Most teams want some continuity on their roster, even with new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley bringing in a different defensive scheme.
Among the three candidates, Savage has the most athletic ability. Originally drafted out of Maryland in the first round, he played on his fifth-year option this past season. His career should be in its prime as he turns 27 in July.
Even with his inconsistent play at times, he seems like the most likely to return. That still leaves more questions than answers at the position. Curl could answer a lot of those questions for the team.
