How Brian Gutekunst improved the Packers' standing in power rankings

General manager Brian Gutekunst did some great work early on in the free agency window. That's not to say the Green Bay Packers, or any team for that matter, are done, but the initial results from Green Bay's foray into free agency seemed positive.

Yes, it was a gut punch to lose Aaron Jones to the Minnesota Vikings, of all teams, and officially saying goodbye to David Bakhtiari marked the end of an era.

Still, it can't be denied that Green Bay got better with the additions of safety Xavier McKinney and running back Josh Jacobs. McKinney projects to be a leader and star on the Packers defense for years to come. He's an All-Pro caliber player.

Speaking of, Jacobs was a first-team All Pro in 2022 after putting up over 2,000 all-purpose-yards and 12 touchdowns for the Las Vegas Raiders.

He had a bit of a down year in 2023, but if he can bounce back and stay healthy, he profiles as a star running back for the Pack.

Yes, Gutekunst did a great job, and the folks over at The Athletic think he improved the team enough to move the Packers up from No. 6 to No. 5 overall in their post-free agency NFL rankings.

"The Packers essentially swapped out 29-year-old running back Aaron Jones for 26-year-old running back Josh Jacobs, who signed a four-year deal that could be worth $48M (or could be terminated pretty cheaply after one year). They also spent big on McKinney to help new defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley," Josh Kendall wrote. "Green Bay released David Bahktiari, but that doesn’t count as a notable loss because the left tackle has played only 13 games in the last three seasons."

The only teams higher than the Packers in these rankings are the Houston Texans, Detroit Lions, San Francisco 49ers and back-to-back NFL champion Kansas City Chiefs.

Don't look now, but the Pack appears to be officially back.