Morning Buzz: Tough decisions for Thompson
Welcome to your Morning Buzz, rounding up news and views regarding the Green Bay Packers and the NFL from around the web and here at PackersNews.com. Grab a strong cup of coffee and get caught up on everything you need to know about the Packers.
With the “legal tampering” period for free agency set to begin at noon EST today, we should start seeing reports of deals being agreed to around the league later this afternoon. Ryan Wood wraps up his free-agency series with a look at Ted Thompson’s toughest call in T.J. Lang.
Lang, who turns 30 in September, is expected to miss the entire offseason after late-January surgery to clean up a hip impingement. That shouldn’t be too alarming for the Packers. As Lang pointed out in a tweet last week, he missed the entire offseason last year with a more significant shoulder surgery, and that didn’t prevent him from being selected to his first Pro Bowl.
The Packers will consider Lang’s extensive injury history, but also his toughness. Few players have proven able to play through injuries as effectively as Lang. When Lang broke his foot last season at Tennessee, doctors originally projected he’d be out at least six weeks, maybe eight. His season could be over.
Lang returned after missing only three games.
Ryan also wrote on Julius Peppers planning on playing in 2017. All that remains to be seen is whether he’s playing in Green Bay or somewhere else.
I spoke with Ryan about which of his own free agents Thompson will bring back:
Which Packers free agents will Ted Thompson bring back?
Our Bob McGinn weighs in on T.J. Lang:
I’ll also be chatting free agency at noon EST/11 a.m. CST later today over on our Facebook page.
Elsewhere, ESPN’s Rob Demovsky reports that Packers center Corey Linsley recently underwent ankle surgery:
Cheesehead TV makes the case for and against Mike McCarthy:
Smart stuff from Paul Noonan over at ACME Packing Company on older free agents:
Good Morning Football included Eddie Lacy on it’s list of top RBs available in free agency:
Emily Kaplan takes a crack at her first post-combine mock draft, with an interesting selection for the Packers:
Sounds like the Bears are all-in on Mike Glennon:
Haloti Ngata will be back for the Lions:
Vikings linebacker Chad Greenway announced his retirement Monday: