Green Bay Packers: Lane Taylor is Dominating Training Camp
Green Bay Packers’ offensive lineman Lane Taylor is off to a scorching start in training camp after losing his starting job last season.
Just one year ago, Green Bay Packers‘ guard Lane Taylor was preparing for the season as the starting left guard; a position he held for a whopping two games before being replaced by 2019 second-round pick Elgton Jenkins. While Jenkins went on to be a stud in his rookie season, Taylor was mostly an afterthought as a reserve lineman.
This year, Taylor entered training camp as the perceived third wheel on the right side of the line. Billy Turner, the incumbent at right guard, and newcomer Rick Wagner (who has missed time due to an injury) were expected to hold down the right guard and right tackle positions respectively. However, Taylor has set the world on fire on fire in training camp and is dominating the competition, stirring up the expected starters.
There were plenty of conversations in the offseason about whether Taylor should be waived as a cap casualty. Sure, he was an adequate player in previous seasons, but he didn’t seem worth his salary if he was going to be a backup. The Packers decided to keep him around by reworking his contract–a move that’s proving pretty good right about now.
With Wagner missing valuable practice time due to an injury, Taylor has stepped into the starting right guard role with Turner sliding down the line to tackle. And he has his offensive line coach Adam Stenavich singing his praise.
Packers: Wagner looks to be odd man out on Offensive Line. dark. Next
As a collective group, last year’s offensive line was probably the best Aaron Rodgers has had in his entire career. And with the left side of the line set in with David Bakhtiari and Jenkins, there were question marks about how the Packers could replace right tackle Bryan Bulaga who walked in free agency. Although Turner, who was the weak link in last year’s line, isn’t nearly on Bulaga’s level, it’s nice to know Taylor is playing terrific ball. If that continues, the Packers’ pass protection and run game just received a huge boost.