A lack of appealing internal options only complicates the Green Bay Packers’ upcoming decision on the future of veteran right tackle Bryan Bulaga, who is scheduled to become an unrestricted free agent later this month.
According to Jason Wilde of The Athletic, Bulaga and his representatives haven’t heard from the Packers, including at the combine in Indianapolis, making it unlikely the two sides will come to an agreement on a new deal before the start of free agency. And anything can happen once the market opens.
Losing Bulaga would create a gigantic hole at right tackle. The Packers don’t have an ideal replacement on the roster and any potential shuffling of the offensive line would only create more question marks, really clouding the situation in the short term.
The internal options are nothing if not underwhelming.
Jared Veldheer, who came out of retirement to give the Packers important snaps to end the season, will be 33 in June. He could be a stop-gap starter for one year, but he’s also a free agent and will have outside interest. Even if he’s back, Veldheer can’t be considered anything more than an average starter, and it’d be risky for the Packers to bank on him lasting throughout the entire season. He was out of football three months into the regular season and played well for about 1.5 games to end 2019. Can he give the Packers 12-16 quality starts in 2020? Either way, he’s a fairly substantial downgrade on Bulaga, one of the most reliable right tackles in the NFL over the last decade.
Alex Light had opportunities to replace Bulaga in games against the Eagles and 49ers during the regular season. He struggled mightily in both games and can’t be counted on as a legitimate option. The Packers claimed Veldheer for a reason. Light’s future might be inside at guard.
John Leglue is an undrafted free agent with zero NFL experience. Cody Conway is another undrafted free agent who spent the last two months of the season on the practice squad. Both might be long shots to even make the 53-man roster in 2020.
Jason Spriggs, who was drafted in the second round as the swing tackle and future replacement on the right side, missed the entire 2019 season and will almost certainly depart in free agency, cementing his status as a bust pick.
Shuffling the offensive line isn’t all that appealing, either.
Left guard Elgton Jenkins had a standout rookie season and should get a second season at a position he quickly mastered in 2019. Moving him doesn’t look like a legitimate option. Right guard Billy Turner had some good games during his first season in Green Bay but also struggled for long stretches, and his issues moving his feet and in pass protection make him a shaky candidate to play right tackle, even if he has experience doing it. Moving either guard out to right tackle isn’t a guaranteed fix, possibly creating two unstable positions.
The Packers could hold onto Lane Taylor and move Turner out to right tackle, potentially putting the five best linemen on the field, but Taylor is coming off a lost year to injury and Turner was often the weak spot on the offensive line in 2019. Another option is to play Lucas Patrick, who signed a new deal with Green Bay, at right guard, but he’s never been a starter and is probably best used as a versatile backup.
A clear path forward emerges if the Packers lose Bulaga in free agency. If he’s gone, the Packers almost have to use a top pick on offensive tackle, both to find a viable player to use in 2020 and acquire a long-term starter. It would both limit the Packers’ draft flexibility and feel like a fairly big step in the wrong direction for 2020.
The Packers may come to the conclusion that letting Bulaga walk is the right move, and long-term, it might be. There’s risk in handing out big money for a veteran on a third contract. However, losing him would create ripple effects that could really complicate the plan for the Packers in the short term.