It Looks Like Bryan Bulaga Will Miss The 2013 Season

Bob McGinn has reported that LT Bryan Bulaga suffered a torn ACL at some point during the Green Bay Packers's Saturday night scrimmage. There's a second report from Hub Arkush which said Bulaga is seeking a second opinion to find out whether it really is a torn ACL. At this point, the only way he salvages his 2013 season is if the initial diagnosis was wrong. But that doesn't appear to be the case.

To clarify, the #Packers have NOT confirmed that @BBulaga has a torn ACL. But, an #NFL source says he DOES have a torn ACL.
— Jason Wilde (@jasonjwilde) August 5, 2013

While this isn't a fatal blow to the Packers's offense, the odds that their offensive line would improve next season are almost nil.

Maybe rookie David Bakhtiari will be a steal in the fourth round and immediately become a quality starting left tackle, which is possible, but that isn't the most likely outcome. Maybe Marshall Newhouse will be better at right tackle than left, but I think he'd be better at guard than either tackle position. The only expected improvement should be from Evan Dietrich-Smith, who will be better at center than Jeff Saturday. Josh Sitton and T.J. Lang switched guard spots this offseason, and that doesn't seem to provide much benefit without Bulaga playing alongside Sitton, but at least Lang should be healthier next season.

After all the injuries at tackle over the past couple years, at least the Packers now have some depth. Don Barclay's played at all three offensive line positions in camp but he might be asked to become the full-time backup tackle. Former first round pick Derek Sherrod will play at some point this season. Maybe Andrew Datko will have improved in his second season. None of them will replace Bulaga, but at least the Packers won't have to scramble to find some decent offensive lineman for depth.