Lane Taylor
As free agency rapidly approaches, the release of Jimmy Graham seems to be inevitable for the Packers. The veteran tight end is slated to carry a cap hit of $11.6 million in 2020 and he can create $8 million in cap savings if he was released.
Even though the Packers would prefer to trade him, it’s highly unlikely a team is willing to surrender a draft pick to inherit Graham’s expensive contract. On the other hand, Lane Taylor is someone who could garner interest from other teams if made available.
During last year’s draft, the Packers selected Elgton Jenkins in the second round out of Mississippi State. Initially, they selected him with the intention of him being a depth option for the offensive line. But when Taylor suffered a season-ending biceps injury in 2019, Jenkins was inserted into the starting lineup.
Since 2016, Taylor served as Green Bay’s starting left guard alongside David Bakhtiari. In his first three seasons, Taylor performed well as the team’s starting left guard.
At the same time, a season-ending injury in 2019 puts his future with the team in limbo. Plus, it doesn’t help his case that Jenkins excelled as his replacement this past season.
Despite being thrown into the starting lineup unexpectedly, Jenkins was remarkable in his rookie campaign. Of Jenkins’ 964 offensive snaps, none of them resulted in him allowing a sack on Aaron Rodgers.
With Jenkins performing exceptionally well in 2019, the Packers should absolutely consider trading Taylor. By trading Taylor, Green Bay could free up $4.6 million and it could net them another draft pick.
It has been well-documented that this year’s draft is lacking at the interior offensive line positions. Therefore, there would undoubtedly be teams interested in Taylor’s services. Especially since his contract isn’t overly expensive compared to other options. Even though he was a staple of the offensive line for a few years, it would be wise for the Packers to evaluate the idea of trading Taylor in the near future.
