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With NFL free agency officially mere hours away, all eyes in Packer Nation are on the Green Bay Packers’ pending free agents and whether or not they will remain in Green Bay.
In addition to safety Micah Hyde reportedly being on his way out, it looks like offensive lineman JC Tretter is heading to the Cleveland Browns, per a report from Mike Garofolo of NFL Network:
JC Tretter will officially be a Cleveland Brown in about five hours. That deal is getting done. Expected to be their new center.
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) March 9, 2017
With guard T.J Lang also in limbo, this could be devastating news to the Packers. If Lang were to leave, it's possible Tretter would have replaced him had he been able to agree to terms with the team. Instead, there is now a strong possibility that the Packers will have to replace two members of one of the best offensive lines in the NFL.
If Lang does return to the Packers, then general manager Ted Thompson will only have to worry about finding depth instead of a starter AND depth. It would be a much more enviable position for Green Bay.
Meanwhile, the Browns are shoring up the offensive line with Tretter coming on board plus the team reportedly inking Joe Bitonio to a "monster" extension, per ESPN's Adam Schefter. The value of Tretter’s contract will help determine what sort of compensatory pick the Packers might get in 2018 for losing Tretter.
Free agency is just getting started. Buckle up, Packers fans.