With the insanity of the new league year arriving, there has been a lot of noise in the NFL of late. With the legal tampering period opened, teams can now reach agreements with players. The Green Bay Packers have already managed to add a linebacker and a right tackle during this period. Next is the Packers Exclusive Rights Free Agents (ERFAs).
Green Bay had five players with that particular contract status. In an expected move, the team managed to keep all of them.
The #Packers have tendered all of their exclusive rights free agents. 👇🏻 will be back in Green Bay.
WR Jake Kumerow
DT Tyler Lancaster
WR Allen Lazard
CB Chandon Sullivan
TE Robert Tonyan pic.twitter.com/8L22PzXXQO— Scott Grodsky (@ScottGrodsky) March 17, 2020
According to Greg Grodsky, retained all five players that were pending Exclusive Rights Free Agents. They each received the league-minimum 1-year tender. They will all be back in Green and Gold in 2020.
Receivers
Jake Kumerow – WR
Jake Kumerow has been a fan favorite in Green Bay for the past two seasons. This praise is surprising given his lack of consistent production. Kumerow has suited up for the Packers in 19 regular-season games, and 2 playoff contests. In that time, he has only amassed 21 receptions. However, what he lacks in quantity, Kumerow makes up for by having several highlight real receptions in his resume. His catch against the Chiefs comes to mind immediately. In 2019, he had a 15.6 yard per catch average, indicative of a field-stretching receiver. That type of player usually does wonders to take the top off of a defense and open things up for their teammates.
Allen Lazard – WR
During the 2019 offseason, everyone was trying to guess who would emerge as Green Bay’s #2 receiver. There was plenty of talk about Geronimo Allison (including this writer), Marquez Vlades-Scantling and even Kumerow. However, little was expected of Allen Lazard. As the season started, was barely on the field, let alone seeing targets. The first pass thrown in his direction was week 6 against the Lions. In that game, he caught a 4th quarter touchdown that helped the Packers comeback.
After that game, he became a regular part of the offense and emerged as the second most consistent receiver on the team, after Davante Adams of course. During Green Bay’s final two regular-season games, Lazard was targeted 17 times. Both contests were important victories in order to secure a 1st-round playoff bye. We will see if Lazard just takes over right where he left off, or if another receiver will become the new number two.
Robert Tonyan – TE
Robert Tonyan is a curious case. His speed is almost indicative of a wide receiver. But his size and blocking ability renders him a tight end. At this point, that could be a very good thing for Tonyan. Currently, there is only one other tight end on Green Bay’s roster. If the Packers make no other serious investments at the position, then Tonyan could potentially be atop the team tight end depth chart.
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Defense
Tyler Lancaster – DT
Tyler Lancaster is most valuable to Green Bay as Kenny Clark insurance. Lancaster is a capable nose tackle that fits in well with the Packers’ defensive scheme. He even occasionally lined up a defensive end. With Clark entering the final season of his current contract, Lancaster could viewed as a potential replacement. More likely he will be used in the defensive line rotation. If he can master positional versatility, Lancaster could be a useful long-term piece for this team. At the very least, in 2020, he will be able to keep Clark fresh.
Chandon Sullivan – CB
Speaking of positional versatility, that concept is rather important for a defensive secondary. Especially Green Bay’s secondary. With Mike Pettine making heavy use of dime and nickel packages in 2019, defensive back depth is incredibly important. Chandon Sullivan played over one-third of the Packers defensive snaps, 4th most among the team’s cornerbacks. With Tramon Williams as a free agent, the starting slot corner role is available. When tasked to play in the slot, Sullivan performed rather well. Perhaps his playing time will drastically increase in 2020.
Thank you for reading about the Packers Exclusive Rights Free Agents. Be sure to stay connected to Full Press Coverage for up-to-date NFL news.
– Kyle Senra is the managing editor for Full Press Coverage Packers. He covers the NFL. Like and follow on Follow @nyama_ks Follow @FPC_Packers and Facebook.
