BOCA RATON, Fla. -- It sure seems as though general manager Ted Thompson is putting the onus on Mike McCarthy and his coaching staff to improve the Green Bay Packers in 2016.
At this point, it doesn’t appear he’s going to give McCarthy any veteran additions in free agency, so other than an influx of rookies that will arrive via next month’s draft, the Packers could have much the same team as they did last season, when they came up two games short of the Super Bowl.
“You always have the opportunity to improve from within,” McCarthy said at the NFL owners meetings. “If you don’t feel that way or recognize that opportunity, you’d better take a hard look at your program. It’s easy to do as a coach, to run down there and worry about the damn personnel all day.”
At this point, the only interest in a free agent from outside the organization appears to be tight end Jared Cook, who was discarded by the Los Angeles Rams earlier this offseason and visited Green Bay more than a week ago.
Although McCarthy spoke highly of Cook and said he was impressive during his visit, the fact is the veteran remains unsigned.
“So we’ll see what happens,” McCarthy said. “It’s in the business phase of it, and that’s where it stands.”
If the Packers don’t add any free agents, they will go into the draft with their two biggest needs -- tight end and inside linebacker -- unfulfilled. McCarthy appeared hopeful last month at the NFL combine that Thompson might break from his pattern of ignoring the free-agent market.
“You can’t predict that,” McCarthy said. “I think every year you just go 'Whoa,' the sum of money that is spent in the first week of free agency. Talking to a couple coaches down here, their particular situations, it’s good not to be in that position where you feel you have to spend, that so that’s a positive for us. Player acquisition, you’re always looking to get better, and our guys are working through that.”
Packers president Mark Murphy said earlier this week that Thompson isn’t going to overspend for players.
The Packers will have a veteran addition of sorts with the return of Pro Bowl receiver Jordy Nelson after he missed all of last season because of a torn ACL. Without Nelson, Aaron Rodgers lacked a deep threat, and Green Bay's passing game dropped all the way into a tie for 25th, the first time the Packers had been outside the top 10 in passing yards per game since 2003.
On his end, McCarthy made two key changes on his coaching staff in an effort to boost the running backs (by firing running-backs coach Sam Gash and replacing him with Ben Sirmans) and get more production from his tight ends (by firing longtime assistant Jerry Fontenot and replacing him with Brian Angelichio). McCarthy also made Luke Getsy the dedicated receivers coach after quarterbacks coach Alex Van Pelt also handled receivers last season.
The Packers fell behind the Minnesota Vikings in 2015, and the Chicago Bears, who added perhaps the top two inside linebackers in free agency (Danny Trevathan and Jerrell Freeman), appear to be on the come. Meanwhile, the Detroit Lions are doing everything they can to offset the retirement of Calvin Johnson.
“Our division has improved their teams from the outside, there’s no doubt,” McCarthy said. “Our goal each and every year, and hopefully it stays that way, is to sign our own back and we’ve been able to do that. You look at the Mike Daniels deal and getting Mason [Crosby] done obviously was important for our special teams. My focus is on our own guys. Hopefully Mike Neal, we’ll see what happens there. Nick Perry, that was a big one also, [and] James Starks. Once you get your own done, and hopefully if we can get through the business part of some of these opportunities, we can add someone from the outside.
“What we do every year, we spend a majority of our time on the draft. The draft is our lifeline and that will never change.”
So how do the Packers improve?
“We get better by practicing better and doing better and finding better personnel and doing all the things that we do,” Thompson said.