The 90 to 1 Green Bay Packers roster countdown: No. 23 – Lane Taylor

Will Lane Taylor fit the new scheme?

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. 23: G Lane Taylor ($5,475,000 cap)

In 2016, the Packers surprisingly released Josh Sitton just before the start of the season. Taylor entered the fray and the offense hardly skipped a beat. In his first two seasons as a starter, Taylor allowed a total of five sacks and was flagged twice for holding, according to STATS. Dogged by ankle, foot and knee injuries last season, Taylor wasn’t himself. According to STATS, he allowed 6.5 sacks and was flagged twice for holding.

Pro Football Focus was even harsher, charging Taylor with eight sacks – the second-most among all guards. Of 84 guards who played at least 150 passing snaps, Taylor ranked 62nd in PFF’s pass-blocking efficiency. According to league data, Green Bay ranked 25th in the league with 3.47 yards per carry on runs behind left guard.

“I personally don’t feel like I played as good as I should have or could have, really. It is what it is. It’s not like I can go back and change anything. I did everything in my power I could,” Taylor told Packers.com.

The spotlight will be on Taylor, who in terms of cap charge is the 10th-most expensive left guard in the NFL. He’s healthy now, but is he athletic enough to thrive in Matt LaFleur’s zone-blocking scheme? For instance, free-agent addition Billy Turner, who is slated to start at right guard, was two-tenths of a second faster than Taylor in the 40. If Taylor struggles, second-round pick Elgton Jenkins could be the opening-day starter.

“I just want to stay on the path this year,” Taylor said. “I played good football in the past, so it’s not like I need to step outside myself to play well. Just perfect my craft. But it will give me a bit of a chip on my shoulder, because I don’t want to play bad. I want to go out there and do what I can do.”