So the Green Bay Packers were only a participant but not a player on the NFL’s trade deadline day. They weren’t the only team that neither added or subtracted to it’s roster. Judging from the reaction of all the armchair and social media general managers out there, it was just another failure of the Packer front office to deliver a season saving or changing weapon to Aaron Rodgers.
General Manager Brian Gutekunst was conspicuously missing from the media auditorium podium to discuss what the hope was (if any) of completing a deal, how serious was the run for Steeler receiver Chase Claypool and the confidence level of the cast he’ll keep intact moving forward.
It was left to Head Coach Matt LaFleur to field questions about the unsurprising lack of a move. When asked about not making a trade, LaFleur pretty much decided not to answer.
Spoken like a true “Belichick”….they’re on to Detroit.
It wasn’t just because it was the Chicago Bears who wound up with Claypool after jettisoning two key defensive players in Robert Quinn and Roquan Smith, the deadline day also saw the Minnesota Vikings, the comfortable leaders of the North Division and the Philadelphia Eagles, the NFC front runner, made deals.
Inside the locker room after practice, several players said they weren’t glued to the day’s proceedings, the deadline has passed and there’s confidence the roster as it stands has the where with all to get things turned around.
Even the player with the most influence in the football operations division took the news-free day in stride. Aaron Rodgers admitted he had conversations with Gutekunst and while the quarterback and maybe a few others might have been disappointed the GM wasn’t able to deliver a receiver shot in the arm, there’s not need to smooth any feelings out in the locker room, deadline day is history.
A couple other players I chatted with, Dean Lowry, Robert Tonyan and Sammy Watkins among them, were all convinced yesterday’s roster and the the bunch that returned to the practice field today have what it takes to end the four game slide and get the season pointed back in the right direction.
As for practice, for the first Wednesday in three weeks, Rodgers took part. He said he didn’t do a whole lot of throwing as the workout was more of a jog through. Allen Lazard returned from his shoulder injury but Christian Watson only took part in stretching. Rodgers (thumb), Lazard (shoulder) and Preston Smith, new to the list with shoulder and neck issues, were the limited participants today.
Watson is still in the concussion protocol and was among five players who did not participate. David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins both sat out practice because of their knees with a sore foot to boot for Jenkins. De’Vondre Campbell (knee) and Shemar Jean-Charles (ankle) also got the day off.
Two moves the Packers did make on Tuesday were the release of running back Patrick Taylor from the 53 man roster and the waiving of linebacker Kobe Jones from the practice squad. Taylor was expected to return to the practice squad after clearing waivers. Another running back will return to the roster.
Kylin HIll is back in line.
The Packers have activated Kylin Hill onto the roster from the Physically Unable to Perform list. Hill suffered a bad knee injury returning a kickoff against Arizona in week 8 a year ago.
Linebacker Krys Barnes is also actively practicing again, meaning the 21 day window to bring him off Injured Reserve is now open. With Campbell’s status for Sunday uncertain, Barnes return sooner rather than later would be welcome.
Some thoughts on the newest inductees into the Green Bay Packer Hall of Fame.
It’s an honor being a member of the Hall’s selection committee and our discussion this year was admittedly pretty brief. Both Jordy Nelson and Josh Sitton were noticeably atop the rest of the eligible nominees. The second and fourth round picks from the same 2008 draft were the unquestioned leaders of their position rooms by the time their Green Bay tenures were up. The aw shucks farmer from Kansas caught the first Rodgers TD pass in Super Bowl XLV and within four years, just missed 100 receptions in 2014. Who can forget the sight of Nelson going down, without contact at Heinz Field in the 2015 pre-season? The ACL tear cost him a year of his prime but returned in 2016, to post 97 catches for over 1200 yards and 14 touchdowns to become the first Packer ever to the AP Comeback Player of the Year. The Super Bowl was the crowning moment but Nelson said that comeback season meant an awful lot to him. Jordy’s rapport with Rodgers was uncanny, from the ballet-like back shoulder sideline grabs to the full stride deep posts off play action that always seemed to bust wide open. Nelson was always dutiful about dealing with the media and that was appreciated.
Josh Sitton joined the Packers when they had an established offensive line with Chad Clifton and Mark Tauscher at tackle, Scott Wells at center and Daryn Colledge at guard. By year two, he cracked that starting lineup at right guard, holding down that job for the next four years. He moved to left guard in 2013 and spent the next three seasons there. He had a thick, gravely drawl to his soundbites but they were always well thought out, sarcastic at times but honest. Sitton said the first person he called upon hearing of his election was his former line coach James Campen who had as much to do with his development and career as anyone. Sitton saw the end of the offensive line that protected Brett Favre for nearly a decade, becoming the leader of the next wave with the likes of Bryan Bulaga, T.J. Lang, Corey Linsley, J.C. Tretter, Lane Taylor and a young, David Bakhtiari. Sitton said no disservice to that Clifton-Tauscher line, or even the great front of Lombardi’s Packers in the 60’s, but he feels his group should rank among the Pack’s best ever. He’s got a case and he’s still way too big to argue the point.
The enshrinement ceremony will take place next August 31 at the Lambeau Field Atrium. Expect some pretty good stories from two deserving Hall of Fame players.
