Cheap, Boring but Necessary FA signing
We need to sign G/C Greg Van Roten, and I can’t find a single convincing reason not to.
We are in desperate need of both experience and depth in the interior of our offensive line, and last year was a historically bad year relative to our last twenty: the unit graded out as 22nd in pass‑blocking (19th overall), our lowest in the PFF era. The revolving door was brutal - one lineup for only 18% of snaps - and that’s the exact kind of situation a 10‑year veteran pocket interior guard/center with 1,151 snaps and solid PFF grades in 2025 (65.3 overall which is 32nd/81 guards, 70.1 in pass-blocking which is 22/81) is built to stabilize.
Considering the fact Parsons will be missing the start of the season (and will still be 'recovering' when he comes back), our new DC, & the way we're depending on several players to step up (Van Ness, CB-group, iDL)... the offense will have to be the engine to this team's success, especially our passing offense.
At his last contract level ($3.25 million for 1yr), Van Roten is low‑risk, not low‑ceiling. He’s not going to save the world, but he is going to lower the foreseeable risk of another 2025‑style collapse when their o-line faces injuries. If you’re building a playoff team with a top‑tier QB, you have to bet on the floor too.
Signing Van Roten wouldn’t solve every problem, but it would plug the most obvious offensive hole in the least painful way. If the Packers keep banking on the development of late-round lineman without complimenting it with veteran insurance, they’re basically choosing to be the one injury away from chaos again - and we’ve seen where that goes.