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Pay The Bonus, Keep Ryan Grant

Fox Sports Adam Caplan points out an easy choice for the Green Bay Packers after the end of the lockout. Keep RB Ryan Grant. He has a roster bonus of $1 million due "on the 15th day of the new league year." There's some risk here, but having him return as the 2011 starter is the best choice.

After re-watching the Super Bowl again recently, it was clear (again) that RB James Starks just isn't ready as a runner and blocker. The talent is there, but Mike McCarthy called him out for needing to work on the details as recently as mid-November. There is some uncertainty with Grant since he's returning from a major ankle injury, and is only one year away from free agency. But he's certainly had the trust of the coaches, and performed at a high level, in the past.

The alternatives have some risk too. Would it really be better to go after a veteran like RB Clinton Portis instead of Grant? Aren't any veterans who become available a risk too? Could they really count on another rookie from this April's draft to make up his production?