Bills GM shares interesting perspective about why the Packers agreed to trade player from premium position
Timing is everything. At the trade deadline a year ago, the Green Bay Packers were 2-5 and had just lost to the Minnesota Vikings in convincing fashion at Lambeau Field. It looked like the retool would take an extra year or two, and the 2023 season would serve just to evaluate the roster, find building […]
Timing is everything. At the trade deadline a year ago, the Green Bay Packers were 2-5 and had just lost to the Minnesota Vikings in convincing fashion at Lambeau Field. It looked like the retool would take an extra year or two, and the 2023 season would serve just to evaluate the roster, find building blocks, and clear up cap space after years of excessive spending.
So when Buffalo Bills general manager Brandon Beane called trying to acquire cornerback Rasul Douglas, Packers GM Brian Gutekunst didn't rule the option out. Months after acquiring Douglas for a swap of third- and fifth-round picks, Beane has an interesting perspective about how the Packers saw themselves in October.
"If they knew they were going to make that run," Beane told Go Long. "I don't know if they would've done it."
The Packers received the 91st overall pick in the draft, which Gutekunst used to select off-ball linebacker Ty'Ron Hopper. Curiously enough, the Bills used the 160th pick from Green Bay to take a fellow linebacker, Edefuan Ulofoshio.
The outcome of the trade will ultimately depend on how these players perform in the NFL. But based on how the Packers' timeline has been accelerated since the deal happened, it's fair to wonder how useful Rasul Douglas would be for this version of the team.
The Bills still have Douglas under contract for this season, and Beane couldn't be happier with the move.
"He always had instincts and ball skills, but he was able to do that and play within the scheme," the Bills GM said of Douglas' development since he was signed by the Packers in 2021. "Even the short time we had him, I think he quickly showed he could turn the ball over and he's just got really an instinctual feel. You can’t teach things he’s got. And I thought the coaches did a good job of not worrying. Just give him the fundamentals of a defense. Don't put him in too much complex stuff."
For the Packers, the trade might not have been great after all. But Green Bay achieve decent compensation and, more importantly, had the space to accelerate the development of younger guys — Carrington Valentine wouldn't have had so many snaps with Douglas on the team.
The Packers expect that Eric Stokes can get back to his 2021 self and that Jaire Alexander can stay healthy. Add Keisean Nixon and Valentine to that equation, plus what they can extract from Hopper during his rookie deal, and it's how Green Bay may still make the most out of the situation.
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