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The Green Bay Packers’ offensive line has undergone some significant changes over the past 12 months. Three of the top four interior linemen have left over that span, two in free agency (T.J. Lang and JC Tretter) and one being released at the end of last year’s training camp (Josh Sitton). Somehow, though, the team has still put together a line that appears to be one of the better units in the NFL.
To be sure, the steadiness of the tackles is a crucial piece to that puzzle. But the interior of the line has been bolstered thanks to some excellent development, in Lane Taylor’s case, a shrewd veteran free agent signing in Jahri Evans, and good health for starting center Corey Linsley. Add in some interesting additions of young depth players over the past two draft cycles and you have a lot of talent ready to contribute up front.
The offensive line’s effectiveness this year will be critical to the offense’s production overall, as it always is; thankfully, this starting five appears set up to be a very solid one once again, if not one of the better units in the NFL.
Check out a few pieces about the line plus much more in today’s Curds.
Four Downs: How much preseason time for Aaron Rodgers? | Packersnews.com
In the future, the Packers might add some of the robotic tackling dummies that have been all the rage lately. In addition, Brett Hundley has tied some of Rodgers' records in McCarthy's QB school drills, both in the overall athleticism category.
Green Bay Packers' Corey Linsley follows plan to be ready for camp - ESPN
Linsley says that he was "stupid" last summer, when he pushed a recovering hamstring too far in workouts and missed the first half of the season. He's promising that it won't happen again this year.
Packers offensive line still highly regarded by Pro Football Focus | Packers Wire
Speaking of Linsley, he's on a line ranked 8th in the NFL by PFF - however, that site mind-bogglingly failed to acknowledge that the Packers signed Jahri Evans to man the right guard spot, which should bump them up a notch or two.
Damarious Randall promises 'different story' in 2017 | Packers.com
Randall is looking forward to his new role as the Packers' star cornerback - the team's designation for the guy who plays primarily in the slot - and Mike McCarthy called him one of the standouts in offseason practices.
Vince Young: Inside Texas star's NFL fall, CFL comeback | SI.com
Young had a brief preseason stint with the Packers a few years ago, but Ted Thompson apparently told him that he needed to "clean up" his off-the-field issues relating to debt and loans falsely taken out in his name.
Bill Belichick's 10 best losses ranked by how happy they made NFL fans - SBNation.com
Watching them lose to the Giants twice in the Super Bowl was fun, but our favorite was of course when the Packers beat them during the 2014 season.