Perhaps we should have seen it coming after free agency. Or after the Green Bay Packers reached in the minds of many by selecting Rashan Gary. Once the alert hit the collective NFL, ‘Packers to release Mike Daniels,’ the entire Green Bay offseason shot into clearer focus.
The combination of Daniels and Kenny Clark wrought havoc in the NFC the last two years, a trend that began in 2016 when Clark showed flashes of the player he was to become. But the fit was always a little wonky. For a 3-4 defense—and yes such designations can be overrated, but they’re not useless—to use a nose tackle and a three-technique defensive tackle isn’t how the modern NFL tends to be played (It’s called a 3-4 “under” front and it was a favorite of Dom Capers).