The 90 to 1 Green Bay Packers roster countdown: No. 6 – Bryan Bulaga
The Green Bay Packers, and their 90 players on the roster, are in the midst of their first training camp under coach Matt LaFleur. In an annual tradition from my 11 years at Packer Report, I rank the players in order of importance from No. 90 to No. 1. This isn’t just a listing of the team’s best players. Our rankings take into account talent, importance of the position, depth at the position, salary and draft history. More than the ranking, we hope you learn something about each player. (Note: The start of this series can be found with my former employer.)
No. 6: RT Bryan Bulaga ($8,262,500 cap)
Bulaga started 14 games last season. The problem is he didn’t finish 14 games. In fact, he played 72.7 percent of the offensive snaps. According to STATS, he gave up 4.5 sacks and was penalized eight times (five for holding). According to PFF, of the 58 offensive tackles to play at least half the snaps, Bulaga finished 15th in its pass-protection metric. After missing two games with a knee injury, he didn’t allow a single pressure in season-ending games against the Jets and Lions. In other words, when Bulaga is on the field, he’s a tremendous asset.
The injuries notwithstanding, it was a quality season for a player who missed most of the previous season with a torn ACL sustained in October 2017 but was back on the field to face Khalil Mack and the Bears in Week 1.
“I think just from the start of it having to kind of speed up the entire rehab process of the ACL, you don’t get that full year that you really look for,” he said late last season. “I’m not saying it’s necessary that you need a year but that’s obviously the target, that’s the goal everybody would like with that process. I had it with my left one. It was more comfortable. You had more peace of mind with it. You’re a full year out, you can go back and play. So you having to do it in 10 months technically, to me, was very satisfying not just as an athlete, but personally. There’s a lot of things that go into that with your family, stresses on your family and things like that. Personally, it was pretty awesome. It’s not just me doing it. It’s my wife having to deal with my (crap) at home, especially right after the surgery and having to pretty much take care of you for three weeks because you can’t do anything.”
In terms of cap dollars, Bulaga is the fifth-most expensive right tackle in the NFL for the upcoming season. Because of his injury history and salary, his potential release has been a source of outside speculation for a couple years. However, if you’re going to replace a starter, you better have someone ready to step in. The Packers don’t have a right tackle waiting in the wings. Jason Spriggs hasn’t proven that he’s up to the task, and when Spriggs missed time early in camp due to injury, Alex Light struggled, as well.
So, in some ways, it’s Bulaga or bust. The Packers need him for as many snaps as possible. In today’s NFL, a good right tackle is just as valuable as a good left tackle, which is why Bulaga ranks so high on this list. Just look at this year’s schedule, the spate of top pass rushers and the data from Pro Football Focus.
In Week 1, it’s Chicago’s Mack, who had 12.5 sacks last year. He rushed 51.5 percent of the time from the defense’s left (meaning against the right tackle). In Week 2, it’s Minnesota’s Danielle Hunter, who had 14.5 sacks last year. He rushed 54.8 percent of the time from the defense’s left. In Week 3, it’s Denver’s Von Miller, who also had 14.5 sacks last year. He rushed 82.9 percent of the time from the defense’s left. In Week 5, it’s Dallas’ Demarcus Lawrence, who had 10.5 sacks last year. He rushed 97.6 percent of the time from the defense’s left. In Week 8, it’s Kansas City’s Frank Clark, who had 13 sacks last year for Seattle. He rushed 42.2 percent of the time from the defense’s left while with the Seahawks. In Week 12, it’s San Francisco’s Dee Ford, who had 13 sacks last year for the Chiefs. He rushed 64.7 percent of the time from the defense’s left. In Week 14, it’s Washington’s Ryan Kerrigan, who had 13 sacks last year. He rushed 90.1 percent of the time from the defense’s left. Then it’s the Bears’ Mack in Week 15 and the Vikings’ Hunter in Week 16. Detroit’s Trey Flowers, who the Packers will face in Week 6 and Week 17, was more of a left-side rusher with New England last season.
Barring schematic changes, Bulaga will face a better group of rushers than Bakhtiari. Will he be up to the task? The season could depend on it.
