Green Bay Packers: Should Lang or Sitton be brought back?

With the Green Bay Packers in need of help along the interior offensive line, could they consider bringing back T.J. Lang or Josh Sitton to fill the void?

For just about a handful of years, the Green Bay Packers had perhaps the best guard duo in the NFL, led by T.J. Lang and Josh Sitton.

But as they say, “all good things must come to an end” and for the Green Bay Packers and these two players, it happened quite abruptly. Just before the regular season in 2016, Sitton was released due to reported concerns about him being a problem in the locker room. Then the following offseason, the Packers decided not to open up their wallet for Lang, who would eventually sign with the Detroit Lions.

At the time, many Packer fans questioned these decisions, but based on their contracts and recent injuries, these now look like two very smart moves by former general manager Ted Thompson.

However, as we look ahead to the 2019 season, the Green Bay Packers are in need of finding a replacement at right guard. While neither Lang or Sitton should be their top choices, as they should be looking for a player early in the draft or to a high-level free agent such as Rodger Saffold.

Recently it has been reported that the Miami Dolphins will not bring back Josh Sitton for the final year of his contract and while it is not official, there is a rumor floating around that Lang will not be back in Detroit for 2019.

Since their departures from Green Bay, both Lang and Sitton have had similar results. When on the field they are still very effective, but both struggled to stay healthy in 2018.

Josh Sitton’s 2018 season was quite limited as he only appeared in one game before tearing his rotator cuff and ending up on injured reserve.

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However, if we look back at Sitton’s 2017 season he played quite well and was available. In his 15 starts, Pro Football Focus gave him an overall pass blocking grade of 84.8 and Sitton was credited with giving up only two sacks and one quarterback hit.

Over his entire career, Sitton has been known as an excellent pass blocker and based on our most recent evidence, that still holds true. While run blocking was never his strongest suit, he was still effective. But given he will turn 33 before the new season begins and his injury history, this part of his game could be a concern. Especially in a Matt LaFleur offense where the run game is emphasized more.

If brought back, Sitton would most likely continue at left guard and Lane Taylor would be moved to the right side. While he has his limitations at his point in his career and we may not see him in all 16 games, Sitton would still be an upgrade in the passing game at guard, where much of the pressure on Aaron Rodgers came from in 2018.

As we transition to T.J. Lang’s time in Detroit, we will see some overlap with Sitton’s time away from Green Bay. The injury bug would bite Lang in 2018 as he would appear in just six games before being placed on injured reserve with a neck injury.

Yet in those six games, he was credited with only giving up one sack, no quarterback hits and had no penalties. Looking back at 2017, Lang played in 13 games and was once again a solid contributor to the Lions as he allowed only one sack and one quarterback hit in that span.

If re-signed by the Green Bay Packers, Lang would slide right back into his natural right guard position and help fill the void. Lang who is much better as a pass blocker would have similar limitations as Sitton at this point in his career and probably wouldn’t be able to play in all 16 games.

Although neither of these players are as opposing as they once were, they are still an upgrade over what the Green Bay Packers had at guard last season and would be a tremendous help in the passing game, as long as healthy.

Both players tenure in Green Bay ended on a poor note, but with an almost entirely new coaching staff and a new general manager, if the Packers made the decision to bring one of them back, hopefully, they would see it as a great opportunity to finish up their careers where it all began.

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Just as I stated above, neither of these two should be priority signings but depending on who Green Bay is able to acquire and of course, the cost, bringing one of them back on a one-year deal should be considered.

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