Brian Gutekunst does his shopping in the offseason, not at the trade deadline

The Green Bay Packers frustrated fans with another subtraction at the deadline rather than an edition, but the general manager already added at essential positions.

When the Detroit Lions traded for Za’Darius Smith, they did so from a place of desperation. The former Green Bay Packers pass rusher turned 32 in September, has bounced around to his third team since leaving Titletown in 2022, and fails to fit the culture Dan Campbell set in Detroit. Matt LaFleur’s offense possesses more than enough playmakers in the passing game. They didn’t need to go out and spend draft capital on De’Andre Hopkins to give themselves something, anything in the way of a reliable pass catcher. General manager Brian Gutekunst embodies his title and managed this roster in the offseason.

This spring alone, Gutekunst revamped the worst safety room in the NFL, signing Xavier McKinney before drafting Evan Williams and Javon Bullard. He re-tooled the linebacker position with rising star Edgerrin Cooper and project Ty’Ron Hopper. Of the top four safeties in Pro Football Focus grading, two play for the Packers (Williams and X).

In a single offseason, the defense went from the worst safeties in the NFL to arguably the best. Only Detroit has any sort of consideration in this discussion. At worst, Jeff Hafley’s group is second.

Everyone agreed safety was the biggest hole on the roster heading into the offseason and Gutekunst not only filled it with capable players, he found the best safety tandem the Packers have had since LeRoy Butler patrolled the back end at Lambeau Field. Not even a wisdom of the crowd fallacy could get that storyline down.

After that, the consensus opinions around Draft Twitter, talk radio/podcasts, and this venerable website focused on two key spots: tackle and cornerback. It turns out, the tackle position was never a problem. Rasheed Walker and Zach Tom have been exactly what the Packers expected them to be, leading one of the best pass protection unit in the league by any metric. In fact, the offensive line has been such a non-story this season, that first-round pick Jordan Morgan can’t get on the field because Sean Rhyan out-played him from start to finish … or at least to now.

That includes Sunday night against the Lions when Morgan showed his inexperience against a punishing Detroit interior defensive line led by Alim McNeill.