I also wonder whether the thinking may be that because of the relative strength of the defensive line, the need for the traditional "run stopper" may be mitigated. I think the current roster could present an extremely impressive DL in short yardage situations.
Originally Posted by: KRK
I'd be for keeping an extra DL we really like than grabbing someone off the street.
Originally Posted by: DarkaneRules
I don't know if I can explain this well, but I'm interested in the fact that the Packers have been reportedly running a 3-3 nickel instead of the 2-4 nickel.
This means the thin LB depth might only be asking 3 LBers on the field which saves depth, while also asking more of the very good DL depth. But it also suggest the LB depth might not be as thin as we have thought, if they're only asking for 3 instead of 4 at a time.... also suggest the DL depth might not be as stacked as we hope because we're spreading them out with 3 positions instead of 2. I think because of this, Pettine's 3-4 defenses, on average, have kept that extra 6th DL anyways, as you guys have talked about.
But this also has me wondering could we potential just use Matthews, Fackrell and the other ILBers to try to fill Ryan's spot.
Another FA vet option: Karlos DansbyNegative: Dansby is going to turn 37 years old this season. He has been on 3 different teams in the last 3 years (though two, Browns and Cards, were clearly wanting to rebuild with young players).
Positive: In the last 11 years, Dansby has only missed 8 games and has gotten at least 90 tackles each year. Dansby played under Pettine for two years when both were with the Browns. The last year they were together (which is 3 years ago now), Dansby lead the team in INTs was 2nd in forced fumbles, and scored two touchdowns of his own.