Getty Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers looks on against the Detroit Lions during the first half at Lambeau Field on September 20, 2021 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
The Green Bay Packers have found peace of mind over the early weeks of the 2021 season due to the sturdy performance of their young offensive line. If they keep up the good work, it could also motivate the team to become sellers at this year’s NFL trade deadline.
Despite not having either of their top two offensive linemen available in Week 3 — David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins — the Packers’ frontlines fended off Nick Bosa and the San Francisco 49ers’ pass rusher well enough to come away with a 30-28 victory and move to 2-1 on the season. What makes it more impressive is that right tackle Billy Turner was the only among the five of them to have even started a game before the 2021 season.
Naturally, the Packers will want to see sustained success from their offensive line between now and the November 2 deadline before making any rash decisions. But if they feel comfortable with their youngsters over the next month and are expecting to have both of their Pro Bowlers back sooner rather than later, it wouldn’t be a stretch to think they might start shopping around veteran Lucas Patrick to teams seeking to boost their interior.
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Why Patrick is Expendable for Packers
Patrick has been a rising contributor for the Packers over the past couple of seasons, going from an undrafted free agent in 2016 to a 15-game starter in 2020. He was critical in helping them stabilize their offensive line after they moved on from veteran Bryan Bulaga following the 2019 season, giving them a sense of comfortability on the interior that motivated their decision to move Turner from guard to tackle on the right side.
Looking back on the two-year, $2.795 million contract extension the Packers handed him in December 2019, Patrick was really quite the bargain. The problem is that the Packers have since heavily invested in interior linemen and are already starting to see the 28-year-old guard outgrow his usefulness.
The Packers have opted for Jon Runyan Jr., a 2020 sixth-round pick, over Patrick as their starting left guard in each of their past two games. While it is possible their decision in Week 2 had something to do with Patrick starting the week in concussion protocol, he was completely off the injury report for Week 3’s trip to San Francisco and yet only participated on six special-teams snaps. Runyan, on the other hand, played on every offensive snap and surrendered just two pressures to the Niners’ strong defensive front.
There is also the emergence of rookies Royce Newman and Josh Myers working against Patrick. Myers is no surprise given the Packers spent a second-round pick, but Newman rose the depth chart faster than people expected when he was selected in the fourth round. The fact that Patrick is the second option at best for all three interior positions of the Packers’ line decreases his value, especially when Cole Van Lanen, Jake Hanson and Ben Braden (practice squad) are still in place to provide interior depth across the board.
Finally, there’s the cost of it all. According to Over the Cap, the Packers could turn nearly all of Patrick’s $2.092 million cap hit in 2021 into savings if they find a way to move on from him. That money could be used to help add another important piece for this year’s run or maybe to carry over into next year where their cap issues are much more challenging to resolve. Either way, the cap situation with Patrick was enough for some to consider him a possible cap casualty toward the end of training camp — and the case for that has only gotten stronger with him falling out of the starting lineup.
Why the Packers Might Keep Patrick Anyway
There are a number of reasons why the Packers could do away with Patrick before the midseason deadline arrives, but there are also a few good explanations for why they might not even explore such a move. For one, Patrick is a much better option than Hanson as a backup center. They could always turn to Jenkins for that role if something were to happen to Myers, but he is still recovering from his own injury and may be needed to man other spots on their offensive line.
There is also the fact that the Packers don’t need to create immediate cap space. Sure, there might be some draft capital they could get in exchange — or perhaps even a player — but they could consider trustworthy depth for their O-line even more valuable, especially when it is a veteran who could play both guard spots or center in a pinch. They saw firsthand in last year’s postseason how one crucial injury (Bakhtiari) could disrupt their pass protection.
Ultimately, a decision to move Patrick could come down to need. If a team is desperate to acquire a guard and willing to pay the Packers’ asking price, he could get dealt into a better situation for himself. Likewise, if the Packers have their doubts about some of their young interior players, keeping Patrick is both safe and affordable.