The Green Bay Packers season is in jeopardy due to a slew of key injuries. Retooling a weak offensive line was the key to the Packers’ success in the summer, and Brian Bulaga’s switch from right tackle to left tackle seemed to be the key.
He’s waiting for another evaluation on his ailing knee, but Bulaga is anticipated to be out the rest of this season at a minimum.
The Pack should be alright at center with Evan Dietrich-Smith and T.J. Lang and Josh Sitton at guard, but tackle is a significant problem. Whether any of this year’s fourth-round choices David Bakhtiari, Marshall Newhouse, Derek Sherrod, Don Barclay, or Don Barclay can play the right side, let alone the left, remains to be seen.
This is not the first time Newhouse has fallen short. After being drafted by the Packers in the first round in 2011, no one knew much about Barclay Sherrod, the Packers’ only other left-side option.
As a result, he’s been bothered and disappointed. It’s not ideal to place a rookie on A-blind Rod’s side when Bakhtiari was drafted to learn the left tackle position.
That’s not all Green Bay has to worry about
Two days after Bulaga’s injury, the team’s starting wide receiver, Jordy Nelson, suffered arthroscopic knee surgery and would be sidelined for the remainder of the preseason.
There are no guarantees that Nelson will be at his best on the season’s first day even if he is fit enough to do so. Randall Cobb, the Packers’ second-choice receiver, has been ruled out for the rest of the season with a biceps injury.
Besides the injuries, the Packers have added Vince Young, a former No. 3 draught pick and current backup quarterback, to their roster. Could it be that general manager Ted Thompson is preparing for the worst by setting up a more mobile and athletic option behind quarterback Aaron Rodgers if his number is called?
There’s no doubt that the Packers are going to have a rough start to the season when they face San Francisco, Washington, and Cincinnati. As a result, the remainder of the NFC North could benefit.
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