3 players Packers should explore trading before Week 1

Billy Turner

It was only last year that the Packers handed Billy Turner a four-year contract worth $28 million. His first season with the Packers was fine. Turner started all 16 games at right guard. But is it a guarantee he’ll be the starting guard in Week 1 against the Minnesota Vikings? Well, if Lane Taylor is fully healthy, there will be competition at training camp for the starting job.

Last week, I made my predictions for the Packers’ starters in the season opener against the Vikings and I have Taylor starting at right guard ahead of Turner. Taylor has started 49 games at guard for the Packers (although mostly at left guard), and he could win the job to start ahead of Turner this summer.

If that’s the case and Turner loses his starting job, the Packers would have an $8.1 million cap hit for a backup guard, according to Over The Cap. Considering they could be looking to give contract extensions to Kenny Clark, David Bakhtiari, and Aaron Jones in the near future, freeing up cap room would make sense. And they’d be able to save $1.35 million by trading Taylor. It’s not a huge number, but every bit helps.

And if a team needing a starting guard also sends a draft pick the Packers’ way, it’s a move they should consider.