In March, the Packers chose to move on from the trustworthy but injury-prone tackle Bryan Bulaga. At the heels of training camp, they are already just an injury away from disaster on the offensive line.
Green Bay will go into the regular season with the cross-functional but currently-injured Billy Turner as their top backup at both guard and tackle, followed by Yosh Nijman as the only other option at tackle. Such a move drastically amplifies the impact that an injury to a starter would have on the offense's continuity: a domino effect that yields musical offensive line in the best case scenario and complete offensive stagnancy in the worst.
As surprising as it is for the Packers to take on risk in protecting Aaron Rodgers, the front office has made several wise personnel gambles in the past.
Four years ago, the Packers cut long-time guard Josh Sitton, vaulting undrafted and unproven Lane Taylor to starting right guard. As frightening as it was at the time, the move couldn't have worked out better, as Taylor eventually performed at a starting caliber and the franchise saved big money on Sitton's veteran contract. Similarly, they have gotten by with a combination of one-game stopgap solutions - such as Jordan McCray, Adam Pankey, Jason Spriggs and Alex Light - and great game planning to limit their exposure.
Finally, despite the decision to not sign a veteran - such as 2019 savior Jared Veldheer - it's a near certainty that GM Brian Gutekunst would make such an emergency move in the event either of his starting tackles go down during the regular season. While one would expect Gutekunst to add depth and experience in advance for a positional group so vital to the Packers' success, fans have learned to trust decisions made by him and his crew.
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