Packers coach Mike McCarthy has vowed to have a better offensive line next season and he’s not willing to rule out any configuration of players to make that happen.
Bob McGinn of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports that the team will spend part of the offseason deciding whether they are better off with Bryan Bulaga on the left or the right side of the offensive line. The decision also includes an evaluation of current left tackle Marshall Newhouse and Don Barclay, who filled in at right tackle after Bulaga was lost for the season with a hip injury. Bulaga’s still recovering from that, which means that it will be a little while before the Packers can really start chewing on the options.
“We’re not doing anything like that right now,” McCarthy said. “We’ve got to look at the draft and see what happens. I’ve got to make sure Bryan comes back from this injury. He’s been there (the Packers’ facility) every day. I’m not (worried), but you know how that goes.”
Bulaga played on the left side in college, but took over for Mark Tauscher on the right side as a rookie and hasn’t given up the job. McGinn believes 2011 first-round pick Derek Sherrod could also figure into the competition if he proves healthy after a broken leg, which is another sign that the Packers won’t be leaving any stone unturned to get a better group on the field this season.