Packers Lose Starters Darnell Savage, Jon Runyan in NFL Free Agency

NFL free agency is under way, with the Green Bay Packers losing two starters they were prepared to lose, Jon Runyan and Darnell Savage.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers’ top two free agents have signed elsewhere, with right guard Jon Runyan agreeing to terms with the New York Giants and safety Darnell Savage agreeing on a deal with the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Both losses were expected, with general manager Brian Gutekunst having no desire to compete financially for either player.

The safety room took the first step toward what figures to be a dramatic rebuild in letting Savage join the Jaguars on a three-year contract. The next step was signing Xavier McKinney, the No. 1 safety in free agency.

A first-round pick, Savage earned All-Rookie honors in 2019 and set career highs with four interceptions and 12 passes defensed in 2020. His career, however, stalled and then regressed.

Savage lost his starting job briefly in 2022 and missed seven games due to injuries in 2023. Last year was abysmal with zero interceptions and one pass defensed in 10 games. He made a huge play with a pick-six in the playoff win at Dallas. A week later in the playoff loss to San Francisco, he was in coverage on George Kittle touchdown’s catch and missed a tackle on Christian McCaffrey’s touchdown run.

The missed tackle was nothing new. Indeed, while the ball production waned, the missed tackles were a chronic problem. With an approach that frequently consisted of running as fast as possible and throwing a shoulder into the ball-carrier’s leg, he missed 56 tackles in five seasons, according to Pro Football Focus. In each season, he ranked among the dubious NFL leaders in missed-tackle percentage.

The Packers had a massive hole at safety. Along with Rudy Ford and Jonathan Owens, who would be backups for most teams, Green Bay’s top three safeties last season combined to play almost 2,000 snaps. The only safeties under contract are seventh-round rookie Anthony Johnson, undrafted rookie Benny Sapp and waiver-wire pickup Zayne Anderson. Johnson played 303 defensive snaps, Sapp played three and Anderson played zero.

However, in a huge addition, they agreed to terms with McKinney on a four-year deal. He had more interceptions and passes defensed than Savage, Ford and Owens combined..

Packers Sign No. 1 Safety in Free Agency, Xavier McKinney

Runyan, meanwhile, was a rock. A sixth-round pick in 2020, he started the final 50 regular-season games of his career, including a successful transition from left guard to right guard.

However, his departure became obvious the minute the Packers started splitting snaps between Runyan and Sean Rhyan. With Runyan’s upcoming free agency, the Packers needed to get a close look at Rhyan, a third-round pick in 2022. Rhyan is younger and now much more affordable than Runyan, who reportedly will sign a three-year, $30 million contract that includes $17 million guaranteed.

Through it all, Runyan was as reliable as a sunrise. Of 58 guards with 50 percent playing time, Runyan finished seventh in pass-blocking efficiency at Pro Football Focus. He allowed two sacks and 21 total pressures. Pass protection, not run blocking, was the strength to his game.

Rhyan played well enough to continue getting playing time, even in the playoffs, and he figures to enter offseason practices as the starter at right guard. His power should help the run game.

“He’s really grown,” Gutekunst said at the Combine. “I’m really, really proud of just kind of where he’s at from Year 1 to Year 2, and everything that he’s (done), his development. He’s such a very powerful man, very strong. He’s got a great anchor in pass pro. Still got a ways to go but, at the same time, I thought his growth was substantial, and helped our football team as we went.”

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