Week 1 was a painful dose of reality for the Green Bay Packers.
Losing a tight 34-29 contest to a good Philadelphia Eagles team is one thing, but losing star quarterback Jordan Love to a knee injury for a reported three to six weeks is far worse. The Packers will have to tread water during Love's absence to keep their Super Bowl dreams alive.
Regardless of whether or not Green Bay lifts the Lombardi trophy in February, they also learned they are in a packed NFC North division on Sunday. All three other teams in the division--the Detroit Lions, Chicago Bears, and Minnesota Vikings--won their openers, instantly putting the Packers in last place.
It's going to be difficult to keep up with the other talented rosters in the division in seasons to come. The Packers will have to pilfer talent from some of their rivals around the National Football League, and that could include the New York Jets.
On Monday, Bleacher Report's Scouting Department predicted that the Packers will sign Jets corner D.J. Reed to address their secondary in 2025.
"With Eric Stokes' contract about to expire, cornerback currently projects to be one of the biggest offseason needs in Green Bay. Meanwhile, Reed could be in his last year with the Jets seeing as his deal is up at the end of the season and New York has to worry about paying Sauce Gardner," the authors said.
"The soon-to-be 28-year-old has thrived in the CB2 role for the Jets, surrendering just an 85.1 passer rating when targeted last season while earning a 79.5 coverage grade, per Pro Football Focus. That'd likely be a similar situation to what he'd be walking into with the Packers alongside Jaire Alexander."
Reed has been fantastic for the past three seasons, first with the Seattle Seahawks and then with the Jets in 2022-2023. He has totaled 31 passes defended, allowed just seven touchdowns in coverage, and racked up 144 total points saved, per Sports Info Solutions.
After the Packers invested heavily in the safety position heading into 2024, corner could be the next spot in need of a makeover. Behind Stokes, the Packers currently have Corey Ballentine and Carrington Valentine, who have one combined interception in their careers.
Reed would be a huge upgrade to the Packers' defense in 2025. With Love locked in and a talented young core around him, the Packers could be poised to rule the North for years to come.
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