After losing guard T.J. Lang in free agency, Packers coach Mike McCarthy says he’s not looking to move tackles Jason Spriggs or Bryan Bulaga to the inside, as Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com writes. Green Bay may have to look for replacements in the draft or in the late stages of free agency, but the team could also consider other internal options. Rising sophomore Kyle Murphy played tackle in college, but he might be a better fit at guard, while the the Packers are also high on fellow second-year lineman Lucas Patrick. Veteran Don Barclay could be a “fallback option,” Demovsky writes, but he wouldn’t be a terribly exciting choice.
Here’s more from Green Bay:
- While Packers general manager Ted Thompson admitted his club needs to bring in reinforcements at running back, he wouldn’t respond to recent report indicating Green Bay has interest in free agent Adrian Peterson. “We don’t talk about players that are not on our team,” Thompson said, per Demovsky. “We never have. We never will.” The Packers’ backfield depth chart is slim at the moment, as the only running backs on the roster are Ty Montgomery, Christine Michael, and Don Jackson. Green Bay is expected to wait until after the draft before assessing its options at running back.
- The Packers will likely wait until next offseason to work out an extension for quarterback Aaron Rodgers, and the club won’t let a looming Rodgers deal affect its decisions in the present, according to Ryan Wood of PackersNews.com. Earlier this month, Rodgers said Mike Glennon‘s contract with Chicago “has to” push up the top of the QB market, an indication that Rodgers might push for a new pact. Rodgers later walked his comments back, but Green Bay will likely carry over at least $10MM in cap space in an effort to save funds for Rodgers, per Wood.
- Defensive tackle Letroy Guion is set to serve a four-game ban for violating the league’s PED policy, and Thompson believes Guion’s situation “will work itself out,” reports Wood in a separate piece. Guion has already agreed to a restructured deal that delays his roster bonuses, but Green Bay could cut bait without incurring much dead money. The Packers would be able to recoup 4/17 of Guion’s signing bonus because he’s been suspended, meaning the club would take on fewer than $300K in dead money.