Bryan Bulaga has now seen two of his past five seasons either wiped out or largely nullified by severe injuries, and the Packers‘ starting right tackle is now entering the seasons of his contract where a cap-casualty cut is not incredibly prohibitive. Yet, the ninth-year blocker is expected to return for the fourth season of said deal.
“Whenever players are injured it’s tough as personnel guys who are not 100 percent sure of when they’re coming back,” Green Bay GM Brian Gutekunst said, via Michael Cohen of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. “But I know that he’s been working exceptionally hard. We’ve got a lot of faith that he’s going to come back sooner rather than later, and obviously when Bryan is in there, Bryan is a good player.”
Mike McCarthy also wants Bulaga to be part of the 2018 Packers, indicating he’s heard the 29-year-old edge protector is on schedule following an ACL tear. It would only save the Packers $4.2MM to release Bulaga while tagging them with a $3.2MM dead-money penalty. That savings figure spikes to nearly $7MM in 2019, so Bulaga staying healthy will likely be paramount to him seeing the final year of that contract.
Here’s the more out of Green Bay as well as some of the Packers’ top rivals.
- Jahri Evans remains in the picture, to some degree, for a second season with the Packers. Although, the former perennial All-Pro is going to turn 35 next season. “Jahri is definitely part of the conversation,” McCarthy said. “I don’t know exactly where he is as far as what his goals are, but we’re open (to him returning.” On the strength of his pass-blocking, Evans graded as Pro Football Focus’ No. 30 guard last season. While his 71.7 grade was slightly down from his Seahawks season, Evans showed in 14 games he’s still a viable NFL starter. He didn’t sign with the Packers initially until late April of last year, so the door may still be open on that front.
- The Lions dangled Eric Ebron up until the deadline for his fifth-year option to vest before ultimately releasing him. Bob Quinn elaborated about why the former first-round pick ended up as a free agent instead of netting the Lions a draft pick in a deal. “I guess the general response that I got was, ‘The number’s too big,'” Quinn said, via Kyle Meinke of MLive.com, of Ebron’s then-$8.25MM cap figure attached to the 2018 option. “The salary that came along with the fifth-year option was something that we weighed, you know, really up until the last minute, to be honest. It was just one of those things that we knew was coming down the pike, we obviously had some trade conversations with a few teams that didn’t work out.” Ebron ended up with the Colts on a two-year, $13MM pact.
- Not receiving any compensation for Ebron, the Lions are targeting picks via trades prior to this draft. Detroit holds just six picks. “That’s something that’ll definitely be in the talks I’d say, a week or two leading up to the draft — try to get more picks,” Quinn said, via Meinke. The Lions have a basic draft allotment, holding all their own picks save for the sixth-rounder they surrendered for Greg Robinson last year.
- With Joe Berger and Jeremiah Sirles now out of the picture, the Vikings‘ top remaining need is on their offensive line, Ben Goessling of the Minneapolis Star Tribune writes. Although the team signed swing blocker Tom Compton, draft help is likely en route. Rick Spielman recently attended Billy Price‘s pro day at Ohio State, and Goessling notes the team could be on the lookout for another veteran. The Vikings still have $19MM-plus in cap space.
If he falls to the Vikings, UGA’s Isaiah Wynn, would be the perfect pick for Minnesota. Wynn is a notoriously hard worker, and he is an extremely versatile offensive lineman. There were times at UGA Wynn saw action at just about every spot along their line, and each and every single time Wynn stepped up and performed well.
Prokected to go around pick 25 or later, Wynn is definitely going to be a bargain for whichever team that drafts him. However, considering the overall lack of OL talent in this draft, and Wynn’s excellent workouts, the Vikings will likely have to trade up a few spots to secure the versatile lineman.
His most likely position at the pro level will be Guard, but the transition will be an easy one for Wynn, especially since he was primarily groomed as a Guard at UGA. He will help the Vikings run game tremendously, and look for Wynn to be leading the way on several swing outs, and even inside runs, as Wynn hits the second level very quickly..He is also excellent in pass blocking situations, but his biggest asset is not his all-pro blocking skills, it isn’t his extreme versatility, it is not his intensity, nor is it even his determination and work in the weight room, his biggest asset, and what will help him transcend into a pro-bowl guard is his intelligence as a player.
Wynn studies film like a QB, and rarely if ever, does he miss an assignment. Nelson may be more physically gifted than Wynn, but Wynn does close the gap in several other areas due to his extremely high football IQ..
It won’t be long before Wynn wins over the respect of his future teammates, becomes a fan favorite, and becomes a reliable and steady force for the lucky team that gets him..For the Vikings sake, he’d fit with them perfectly, and they better hope he either falls to them, or they’re able to trade up and secure his services!!
Hey there, Isaiah!