J.C. Tretter: The Green Bay Packers need to re-sign this guy

Green Bay Packers offensive lineman J.C. Tretter. Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports /

J.C. Tretter provides the Green Bay Packers with one of the most difficult decisions when it comes to re-signing free agents.

If there is one player bitten most by the injury bug, it’s Tretter.

He missed the entirety of his rookie season – in fact, he didn’t even make it out of his first practice.

The 6-4, 307-pound Cornell graduate taken by Ted Thompson with the fourth round pick (122nd overall) of the 2013 draft was going through rookie drills when he broke his leg.

Immediately, Tretter was behind the 8-ball.

But that injury didn’t discourage Tretter. He came back in 2014 and was scheduled to be the Packers’ starting center, but an injury just before the start of the regular season put him once again on the shelf. He did come back midway through the season to play in eight games. But up to that point he had started zero games.

When Tretter sat down just before the start of the 2014 season, Corey LInsley emerged as the Packers starting center and became one of the team’s biggest surprises.

In 2015, Tretter again got his chance to play when injury struck Linsley. He started three games for the Packers in 2015 and played remarkably well for a guy who hadn’t been on the field much. Those three games were the only starts of his career in three seasons in Green Bay.

This past season offered more opportunity for Tretter, who held onto the center position – again, playing well with an offensive line unit that provided unprecedented protection for Aaron Rodgers.

But you know how this story ends.

Once again Tretter succumbed to injury midway through the year and wouldn’t play again. In the end, he had surgery that brought his season to a screeching halt.

Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers (12) prepares to the snap as tackle Don Barclay (67), outside linebacker Andy Mulumba (55), tackle J.C. Tretter (73) and running back James Starks (44) line up at the line of scrimmage during an NFL football game against the Detroit Lions at Ford Field. The Packers defeated the Lions 27-23. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports /

So what now?

The Packers know what they have in Tretter – when he’s healthy. He’s very strong at the point of attack and according to Profootballfocus, he was the ninth-best center in the entire league – Linsley was ranked twelfth.

During his time snapping the ball in 2016, Tretter had an overall score by PFF of 84.2. His pass protection rating was 85.8 and his run blocking was rated at 76. In all, he played 1,262 snaps – 750 of those plays were passes, while 512 were run plays.

Considering Tretter’s injury history, it’s unclear whether there would be teams out there interested in his services.

Should the Packers be so inclined as to offer him a contract?

You bet.

The Packers know the talent this guy has and if they can get a two to three-year deal on the cheap, it would be worth taking a chance on Tretter. He provides significant depth along the offensive line as his versatility was one of the reasons Thompson drafted him in the first place.

His value, when healthy, is off the charts. The Packers can use that talent, especially if they decide to move on from T.J. Lang.

Should the team decide to re-sign the durable and highly talented Lang, Tretter may be allowed to walk. But should they do that, the small likelihood that another team bites would play in Green Bay’s favor.

Look for Green Bay to bring Tretter back at some point … and to do so inexpensively.

The following is a list of the 12 free agents-to-be in Green Bay:

PLAYER (12)

POS.

AGE

FROM

2016 AAV

STATUS

MARKET VALUE

J.C. Tretter

TBD

$643,977