Green Bay Packers 2018 roster preview: Bryan Bulaga

What can we expect from Green Bay Packers right tackle Bryan Bulaga in 2018?

Bryan Bulaga has been a key piece of the Green Bay Packers’ offensive line since 2010. He helped the team win the Super Bowl that year, and has put together a number of strong seasons since.

After suffering another season-ending knee injury last year, what’s next for the 29-year-old?

Let’s look ahead.

2017 stats

Bulaga played just five games for the Packers in 2017, his fewest since missing the entire 2013 season. He played on just 22.16 percent of the team’s offensive snaps, according to Pro Football Reference.

2017 review

Injuries have been an issue throughout Bulaga’s career. He has only played all 16 games twice in his career. One of them was in 2016. But Bulaga’s season was cut short in 2017 due to a torn ACL.

Had he stayed healthy, there’s no reason to believe he wouldn’t have continued to play at a high level on the right side of the Packers’ offensive line.

Odds of making roster: 80 percent

Rob Demovsky of ESPN noted Monday that Bulaga won’t be ready for training camp, and the expectation seems to be that he’ll miss the start of the season. But he should be able to come back at some point during the season, once he’s fully recovered from his torn ACL.

2018 preview

But with Bulaga expected to miss time this year, there are some serious question marks at the position.

Who will take over as the right tackle to start the year? New signing Byron Bell? Jason Spriggs? Kyle Murphy? Justin McCray could be a candidate, but it’s more likely he’ll win the right guard job.

The hope is the replacement is for the short term, and that Bulaga can return at some point in 2018.

But it’s not just a question of whether Bulaga can play. It’s also at what level he can play at. He is returning from another significant knee injury, and one has to wonder whether this will impact his performances.

Time will tell.

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Bulaga is under contract through the 2019 season. This is a big year for him. If he can return, stay healthy and continue to play at a high level, he’ll likely be back for 2019.