Packers have chance to add former No. 1 overall pick to help Super Bowl chances

The Green Bay Packers snuck into the playoffs last season. They were the No. 7 seed in the NFC and not positioned for a deep run.

The hope this season will be that they can finish higher up the conference standings and chase a Super Bowl.

That won't be easy, of course, because the NFC North is a powerhouse division with the Lions, Vikings and Bears, too.

Because of that, the Packers can't pass up a chance to get better.

And in a new article on Thursday, ESPN's Aaron Schatz brings up a fascinating path toward that: Signing Jadeveon Clowney.

The former No. 1 overall pick is a free agent, and Schatz thinks it could be the right move to put a cherry on top of the Packers' offseason.

"The Packers are counting on Lukas Van Ness to finally live up to his potential as the starting edge across from Micah Parsons," Schatz writes. "But because Parsons (ACL) isn't expected to come back until at least mid-October, who are they going to play? Brenton Cox Jr.? Barryn Sorrell? The Packers need another veteran pass rusher who can help fill in for Parsons and then provide depth once he returns."

The Parsons injury does really change the entire dynamic here.

It also could point to Clowney as a guy who Green Bay uses a lot early, knowing he may not last at full strength all year but probably wouldn't have to.

"Clowney's 22.4% pass rush win rate last season would have been near the top of the league if he had enough pass-rush snaps to qualify for ESPN's rankings," Schatz writes. "He had 8.5 sacks for Dallas, and the Packers could also use his ability to set the edge against the run."

Does signing Clowney get the Packers to the Super Bowl? Maybe, or maybe not. But it sure makes them better.