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Six more players from last year’s Green Bay Packers roster are now officially set to return for the 2022 season.
According to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky, six of the Packers’ exclusive rights free agents signed their tenders prior to the start of the offseason program on Monday, April 18. The group of re-signed players includes inside linebacker Krys Barnes, offensive tackle Yosh Nijman, edge rusher Randy Ramsey, wide receiver Malik Taylor, center Jake Hanson and tight end Dominique Dafney.
The Packers had tendered six of their eight exclusive rights free agents before the new league year began on March 16, omitting only safety Henry Black and edge rusher Chauncey Rivers — who both remain unsigned free agents. Exclusive rights tenders can be placed on players with fewer than three accrued NFL seasons and offer them one-year deals for the league-minimum salary. While it still takes the player signing the tender to become official, there is little benefit in them doing anything else.
According to Over the Cap, the Packers will add $5.3 million in cap charges with their exclusive rights free agents with five of the six of them earning a salary of $895,000, the minimum for a player with two seasons of service. The only outlier is Hanson, who has just one year of banked time on the active roster with the team and will make $825,000 in salary for the 2022 season.
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Barnes & Nijman Project for Key Roster Spots
A team’s ERFA list is not always sparkling with high-level talent and more often features players who are best suited to fill out backup and depth roles, but the Packers lucked out in 2022 with at least two starter-quality players eligible for ERFA tenders.
The first and most obvious is Barnes. The 24-year-old middle linebacker was bumped back into a No. 2 role for the Packers in 2021 as De’Vondre Campbell emerged as one of their top defensive playmakers, but he was still their third-leading tackler (81) who made his fair share of impact plays — four pass deflections, two fumble recoveries and one sack — over his 16 games and 13 starts. While the return of Campbell on a long-term contract could raise questions about Barnes’ long-term future, it will undoubtedly help the Packers defense to have his experience back in the fold for 2022.
The other absolute steal for the Packers at the ERFA rate is Nijman, who rose from obscurity in 2021 to start eight games at left tackle while David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins were both dealing with injuries. He showed he could be the real deal when he got his first career start in Week 3 last season and was forced to hold his own against Nick Bosa, overcoming a shaky start and almost completely neutralizing San Francisco’s star pass rusher for the second half of the Packers’ victory.
All in all, Nijman allowed just three sacks over his 356 pass-blocking snaps in 2021 — which is pretty good for someone who came into the year having played just 14 offensive snaps in his career. At the very least, he has established himself as a quality swing tackle who can competently handle blindside blocking responsibilities.
Packers Have 7 Free Agents Still Unsigned
Along with Black and Rivers, the Packers have five other unrestricted free agents who remain unsigned with less than two weeks to go until the 2022 NFL draft. One of them is veteran edge rusher Whitney Mercilus, but he announced his intention to retire from the NFL earlier this month and doesn’t seem likely to be wooed out of his decision. The rest of the unsigned free agents include cornerback Kevin King, defensive lineman Tyler Lancaster, right tackle Dennis Kelly and wide receiver David Moore.
While it wouldn’t be surprising if the Packers let all of the remaining seven sign with other teams, there is an argument to make for re-signing a few of them. Kelly didn’t finish on the best of notes for the Packers in the postseason, struggling to hold up against the 49ers after being surprisingly given the starting nod at right tackle, but he is still an experienced depth piece who could be retained for the same purpose at the veteran minimum. Even if the Packers plan to find a new right tackle in the draft, it couldn’t hurt to have some cheap veteran mentorship on hand for a new rookie.
The Packers have also seen a number of their free agents sign with other squads already. Here’s a look at who has departed and where they have landed:
Za’Darius Smith, EDGE: Minnesota Vikings
Billy Turner, RT: Denver Broncos
Chandon Sullivan, CB: Minnesota Vikings
Lucas Patrick, IOL: Chicago Bears
Isaac Yiadom, CB: Houston Texans
Corey Bojorquez, P: Cleveland Browns
Oren Burks, ILB: San Francisco 49ers
Equanimeous St. Brown, WR: Chicago Bears
Kingsley Keke, IDL: Houston Texans (released in postseason, claimed off waivers)
Marquez Valdes-Scantling, WR: Kansas City Chiefs
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