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By Matthew Schmidt
Contributing Sports Writer
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The Green Bay Packers have been one of the best teams in football this season, sitting at 4-1-1 entering their Week 8 clash with Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers. But in spite of the fact that the Packers sit atop the rugged NFC North division, the team clearly has some issues.
Green Bay lost to the lowly Cleveland Browns in Week 3, and it struggled to beat a Jacoby Brissett-led Arizona Cardinals squad last Sunday. And if we are being honest, the Packers didn't look dominant in their win over the Cincinnati Bengals the week prior.
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Packers urged to make contentious trade deadline decision on NFL
As a result, many Green Bay fans want the team to make a couple of moves to bolster the roster before the trade deadline, particularly in some pressing areas like the cornerback position and maybe even the interior defensive line.
However, Packers fanatics who are hoping to see general manager Brian Gutekunst swing a significant move or two before Nov. 4 may end up disappointed. At least that's how Matt Schneidman of The Athletic views it.
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"The Packers already made their splash acquisition before the season started, trading for Micah Parsons," Schneidman wrote. "His three sacks in a Week 7 win over the Cardinals were a career high in a single game. The Packers dealt to the Cowboys their first-round pick in the next two drafts, along with defensive tackle Kenny Clark, so I’m not sure how many more moves general manager Brian Gutekunst can make. I don’t expect any of significance since they’ll fill holes on the defensive line and at wide receiver through key players returning from injuries in the near future."
On paper, the Packers are unquestionably one of the NFL's most talented teams and should absolutely contend for a Super Bowl. Still, you can't help but feel that something is missing right now.
Perhaps Green Bay will get a big boost when wide receiver Christian Watson returns (which could very well be this weekend), and keep in mind that fellow receiver Jayden Reed is due back later in the year, as well. Getting Watson and Reed back on the field should definitely provide the offense with some much-needed juice.
Read more: Report: Cowboys Pursuing Trade for Raiders’ Maxx Crosby
But can the Packers manage to get by with their secondary as currently constructed, particularly at corner? Perhaps Gutekunst is comfortable with what he has and doesn't feel the need to make any additional moves. Green Bay is known for being conservative to begin with, so Gutekunst may be tapped out after having already moved two first-round picks for Parsons.
You just have to wonder if standing pat will ultimately come back to bit the Packers in January, especially if some of their biggest rivals — such as the Detroit Lions, for example — swing some impactful trades.
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