Clay Matthews Signs; When Will B.J. Raji

by Brandon on Jul 31, 2009 1:00 AM CDT in Green Bay Packers News

With players set to report on Friday, they managed to sign LB Clay Matthews on the day before. From Tom Silverstein:

His limited starts at Southern Cal put him behind the curve coming into the pros and any hope that he could make up considerable ground during the offseason was derailed by a hamstring injury, so it was critical he avoided any more delays in starting his NFL career.

I agree; he probably needs all the practice time he can get if he wants the starting job. Although there is no obvious replacement if he isn't ready. When he was sat out with a bad hamstring, LB Jeremy Thompson was in his place at right outside linebacker. But he's no sure thing either since he has to make the transition from defensive end to linebacker.

His rookie contract is worth up to $13 million over 5 years which is almost identical to what OT Michael Oher signed for at No. 23 overall, and C Eric Wood at No. 28.

That still leaves NT B.J. Raji to sign. By this point, it might mean he'll miss the first couple days of training camp at least. I don't think he's being a jerk about it, but no draft choices had been signed in the top 20 picks, except the two quarterbacks Stafford and Sanchez, who have been signed for a while. Oakland just signed WR Darrius Hayward-Bey, and Washington just signed DE Brian Orakpo, so Raji should fall in between them. Unfortunately WR Michael Crabtree is making life difficult for the 49ers, and since he was taken one spot behind Raji, the 49ers problems might become the Packers.

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Get Raji Signed

We need Raji signed TODAY! The Packers will lose more value in Raji’s performance and defensive cohesion then they will gain in salary savings by continuing to play hardball with Raji. Get it done and let the defense start working together. This is a big year for the defense; do not put them at a disadvantage.

by bralee275 on Jul 31, 2009 11:01 AM CDT reply actions

While I understand your sentiment...

I think it fair to say that it takes two to tango. No player is excited to sign ANY contract until the surrounding picks have signed to make the salary “slottings” clearer. As Brandon intelligently noted:

but no draft choices had been signed in the top 20 picks, except the two quarterbacks Stafford and Sanchez

As some of the top twenty are getting inked to contracts, it becomes easier for all the unsigned to also sign. However, it is not a team problem… it is a league-wide problem each season.

by NYCPac on Jul 31, 2009 5:45 PM CDT up reply actions

never a fan of the Raji pick

i would have rather had orakpo and let Pickett take the NT stpot. so the line would have look like…

Orakpo Pickett Cullens

with Kampman Hawk Barnette Mathews

instead it is

Who knows Raji Cullens

by FFmorgan89 on Aug 1, 2009 1:45 AM CDT reply actions

Nope!

Orakpo is NOT big enough to play DE in the 34… He would be another OLB! Raji carried a better grade in the draft than Orakpo, who TRUE position is 43 DE… Would have been miscast in the 34 defense, so he wasn’t seriously considered!

by Strohman on Aug 1, 2009 6:01 AM CDT up reply actions

I was big

on the Orakpo train when the draft was going on. He is a beast and would fit well, but i do think Raji was the better pick.

But Orakpo would probably have played OLB. When doing tryouts TT and other GMs praised Orakpo for how good he was on his feet and actually performed LB drills better than DE drills..

by bizzle4 on Aug 1, 2009 4:23 PM CDT up reply actions

I read some concerns

I thought I recall reading some concerns about Orakpo as an outside linebacker. I’m sure some scouts thought Orakpo would have made a fine outside linebacker, but I don’t think it was a consensus.

But in the end I’m glad they passed on Orakpo, who should be a good 4-3 DE in Washington, because it allowed them to pick Raji at No. 9 overall. The Packers desperately needed that help on the defensive line. And they still got a potential Orakpo-type playmaker in Clay Matthews at the end of the 1st round.

by Brandon on Aug 2, 2009 11:16 PM CDT up reply actions