Tuesday, March 20, 2012

While Tim Tebow Rumors Dominate, Jeff Saturday Visits and Manny Lawson Is Mentioned

The Packers may have interest in trading a 7th round pick for Tim Tebow, if the former 1st round pick signs a new (i.e. cheap) contract. I've mentioned the idea of using a 7th round pick next April on a rookie quarterback, and that's effectively what the Packers are interested in doing here. Except Tebow has a couple years of NFL experience under his belt, which can only help the situation. I don't see why the Broncos would only accept a 7th round pick in return, Tebow has more value than that pick is worth and another team is sure to offer more. I'm not a fan of Tebow, I don't ever think he'd ever be an effective starter in Mike McCarthy's offense, but at that price (a 7th round pick with a cheap contract), he'd be worth it.

With Scott Wells in St. Louis, the Packers brought in former Colts center Jeff Saturday for a visit. I could see their interest in a one-year deal, but if the Broncos are truly interested, I can't imagine him signing anywhere else as the Broncos look to surround Peyton Manning with his former teammates. I still think their next starting center will be arriving in next April's draft, with veteran backup Evan Dietrich-Smith as a Plan B.

The Packers might have some interest in free agent Manny Lawson. At 6-5 and 240 lbs., he might be a better fit as an outside linebacker in a 4-3 scheme, but he's had a lot of experience as a 3-4 OLB with the 49ers. He's very good against the run, and he's better in coverage than expected, but he brings almost zero as a pass rusher. The former 1st round pick never developed as a pass rusher, and his 6.5 sacks in 2009 seems more like a fluke than a sign of hope. He would add depth to the position, and he might be a good fit in a rotation with Brad Jones, but a Jones/Lawson rotation would hardly be a major upgrade. But still, they might be better than Erik Walden was last season.

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