The rosters across the league are products of the general managers that built them and we’re starting to get a feel for just how good of a job was done in building teams for the 2019 season. This week’s 6-Pack is focused on which general managers across the league got it right for this year.

I hope that this column has become a staple for you each week, but just in case you are new, 6-Pack Thursday is my weekly brain dump on six football-related things that involve the NFL, College Football or NFL Draft.

Brandon Beane, Buffalo Bills

For the first time in several years, the Buffalo Bills have a deep and talented roster which has been well-coached to an impressive 5-1 record to start the year. General Manager Brandon Beane had an aggressive offseason after a 2018 season that handcuffed his ability to make moves given Buffalo absorbed over $50 million in dead cap space.

Beane completely re-built Buffalo’s offense. The only Week One starter from 2018 that is still on the roster this season is left tackle and team captain Dion Dawkins. Outside of Dawkins and QB Josh Allen, literally every other starter was acquired by Beane in the offseason. Among the marquee pick ups include wide receivers John Brown and Cole Beasley while Mitch Morse, Jon Feliciano and Quinton Spain have helped stabilize the offensive line. Brown has proven to be one of the top free agent signees in the entire league and he’s currently on pace for 88 receptions and over 1,200 yards. Beane should also be applauded for retaining DT Jordan Phillips on a modest one-year deal who has been a major factor for Buffalo in the defensive front seven. And while jokes were made when he was signed running back Frank Gore is Buffalo’s starter and is on pace 1,000 rushing yards.

Beane’s 2019 Draft haul included Day One starters in defensive tackle Ed Oliver and offensive tackle Cody Ford while RB Devin Singletary, TE Dawson Knox and DE Darryl Johnson all fill important roles already.

Beane is armed with nine picks in the upcoming draft and Buffalo is currently projected to have nearly $90 million in cap space next offseason which is the fourth-most in the NFL. The resources are there for Beane to keep aggressively shaping Buffalo’s roster after an A+ offseason leading into 2019.

Marty Hurney, Carolina Panthers

So much of Carolina’s 4-2 record is due to the offseason work of general manager Marty Hurney. The Panthers faced plenty of criticism for its handling of the backup quarterback situation behind Cam Newton since Derek Anderson left after 2017 and those questions remained leading into 2019. But to Hurney’s credit, he stuck with Kyle Allen who has helped turn the Panthers 0-2 start with Newton into four consecutive wins.

In terms of free agency, Carolina wasn’t loaded with cap space but still managed to sign veteran center Matt Paradis while also adding Gerald McCoy, Bruce Irvin and Tre Boston to the defense. McCoy and Irvin have combined with first-round pick Brian Burns to form a pass rush that leads the league with 27 sacks in six games while sustaining the loss of star defensive tackle Kawann Short.

Despite limited resources, Hurney found ways to improve Carolina at offensive line, pass rush and safety which were critical needs entering the offseason. That’s why Carolina has been able to overcome an 0-2 start, key injuries and are still very much in the hunt for the playoffs.

Chris Ballard, Indianapolis Colts

Ballard has been incredible since taking over for the clueless Ryan Grigson as Colts general manager and his work last offseason continued to prove that. First, dealing with the sudden retirement of Andrew Luck was a situation that would cripple most teams but not Ballard’s Colts. The team was unwavering in its support for Jacoby Brissett who leads the AFC in passing touchdowns per game and boasts a passer rating of 101.

Once again, Ballard is getting incredible contributions from his 2019 rookie class after executing multiple trades and maximizing his draft capital which I wrote about last week. In free agency, Ballard was able to land pass rusher Justin Houston who is heating up with four sacks, eight quarterback hits and five tackles for loss already in the first six games of the season.

The ability to overcome the loss of Luck, assemble a stellar draft class and add a meaningful piece via free agency has the Colts sitting atop the AFC South standings with a 2-0 record in the division.

Brian Gutekunst, Green Bay Packers

With the firing of long-time head coach Mike McCarthy, general manager Brian Gutekunst had a lot to clean up last offseason. Leading the Packers first head coaching search since 2005, Gutekunst made a bold hire in Matt LaFleur whose resume is rather light when considering the position he was called on to fill, especially with a quarterback like Aaron Rodgers to unite with. With a 6-1 record to start the year, things are obviously off to a great start and Rodgers again looks like an elite quarterback.

After the coaching hire, Guteknust had a defense to fix and he aggressively handled that business. Investing over $150 million to acquire the services of OLB Za’Darius Smith, OLB Preston Smith and S Adrian Amos, Green Bay utilized both of its 2019 first-round selections on defensive prospects in DL Rashan Gary and DB Darnell Savage. The result has been a much more sound unit that is limiting opponents to under 20 points per game which ranks among the top-ten in the league.

Outside of the defensive improvements, it appears Gutekunst has an exciting young offensive linemen in Elgton Jenkins who he drafted in the second round. He’s taken over as the Packers’ starting left guard and is playing well.

A positive new direction at head coach, an overhauled defense and a rookie starter on the offensive line is an impressive resume for one offseason.

John Lynch, San Francisco 49ers

The 49ers need at edge rusher was arguably the greatest need of any team across the league entering the offseason. Six weeks prior to the NFL Draft, Lynch parted with a 2020 second-round draft pick to the Kansas City Chiefs in exchange for edge rusher Dee Ford who solidified one side. Armed with the No. 2 overall selection in the 2019 Draft, Arizona selecting quarterback Kyler Murray No. 1 overall was a dream come true for the Niners because it pushed Ohio State DE Nick Bosa right into their lap and is among the leaders for Defensive Rookie of the Year Honors.

You won’t find many examples - if any - of a team bolstering its edge rushing situation to the degree San Francisco did this offseason which is now a strength on the roster. The 49ers are the NFCs only undefeated team and it’s because of the defensive front seven that Lynch assembled.

The 49ers just added Emmanuel Sanders and will soon have Joe Staley, Mike McGlinchey, Trent Taylor and Jalen Hurd back from injury. Lowkey, Lynch acquired San Francisco a game-changing punter in fourth-round pick Mitch Wishnowsky. In addition linebacker Kwon Alexander and running back Tevin Coleman have proven to be impactful free agent signees.

The 49ers are a dangerous football team and Lynch deserves a ton of credit for fixing the edge rusher situation and the other moves he made so that this team can be viewed as a contender after winning just ten games combined in 2017 and 2018.

Mickey Loomis, New Orleans Saints

In case you missed it, Drew Brees has missed the last five games with a thumb injury and the Saints haven’t lost a game during that stretch. Good thing general manager Mickey Loomis struck a deal with backup quarterback Teddy Bridgewater to remain in New Orleans after having interest from other teams to compete for a starting gig.

While the free agency period was fairly quiet for Loomis, he did add rotational defensive lineman Malcom Brown and Mario Edwards while also signing tight end Jared Cook. With that said, his finest work came via the draft where he added center Erik McCoy and defensive back Chauncey Garnder-Johnson. McCoy replaced the retired Max Unger and has played outstanding. He’s arguably been the NFL’s best rookie offensive linemen despite being the 12th one drafted. Garnder-Johnson is commanding more playing time and was excellent in his first career start in Week Seven against Chicago. Amazing work from Loomis in the Draft, especially considering he did not have a first-round pick at his disposal.

Retaining Bridgewater, adding key depth via free agency and finding two exciting young players in the draft without a first-round pick is great work.