What rebuilding Packers should and shouldn't emphasize during rest of 2023

With the Packers now in rebuilding mode, they must emphasize the right strategies while avoiding certain pitfalls for the remainder of 2023.

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Despite a 2-5 record, the Green Bay Packers didn't approach Wednesday's trade deadline looking to sell one of their top players. Perhaps they didn't intend to buy either, but shedding talent didn't necessarily carry much appeal.

Still, when the right offer comes around, teams need to consider it seriously, especially in a season that has gone haywire. Green Bay general manager Brian Gutekunst found himself in such a situation when the Buffalo Bills dangled a third-round draft choice in exchange for Pro Bowl cornerback Rasul Douglas and a fifth-rounder.

"It's a tough one because of what he means to our team," Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst said of Douglas. "We weren't looking to move anybody. Got a call kind of out of the blue a few days ago. We weren't really interested in doing it. But at the end of the day, the offer was kind of too good to pass up.

The move comes after a precipitous downturn in Green Bay's season. After a promising start that nearly saw the Packers reach 3-0, they now find themselves closer to the No. 1 pick than a playoff berth. The offense has struggled to deliver consistently acceptable results while the defense and special teams have performed even worse. The youth movement the front office pursued in the offseason has hamstrung the team in all three phases.

The Douglas trade makes clear how the Packers view themselves at this juncture. Facing diminishing hopes of a turnaround in 2023, Gutekunst tacitly acknowledged that his club has embraced a rebuild.

"We thought it was in the best interest of the Packers," the GM said. "Obviously, in the short term, you lose a good player. That's tough. But at the same time, I think looking kind of long term, it's going to be in our best interests. Any time you get a third-round pick that's going to be within the top 100, probably going to be in the top 50 players you have on your board. That's something I think was just too good for us to pass up."

Rebuilding can take various forms, and the Packers have several considerations to balance moving forward. To jumpstart the process, the team must emphasize the right strategies while avoiding certain pitfalls during the remainder of 2023.