Packers: 3 players they shouldn’t have let go in recent years

2. Corey Linsley, C

This one is more understandable given the Packers’ tough salary-cap situation this offseason. The team decided to give Aaron Jones a four-year extension which made it that much harder to re-sign another star player.

And, yes, they drafted Josh Myers in the second round, a player I’m excited about. He has the potential to become a very good starting center for the Packers.

But it won’t be easy to replace Linsley. So much of the Packers’ success offensively last season started up front along the line, and Linsley was at the heart of that. It’s easy to say that Myers will come in and play well and the offensive line will continue to dominate. That’s entirely possible, but it will be hard for this offensive line to match last year’s production without Linsley.

No center in the league ranked higher than Linsley in ESPN’s run block win rate metric last season, and he was also tied for fourth in pass block win rate. He was also named a first-team All-Pro for the first time in his career.

The Packers’ salary-cap situation, along with their decision to get younger at center, is understandable. But from a football perspective this season, it could prove to be a mistake.