National Football League

Green Bay Packers: Lane Taylor steps in at left guard

Published Jun. 30, 2017 6:28 p.m. ET

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After the unexpected departure of veteran guard Josh Sitton, the Green Bay Packers announced Lane Taylor as the starting left guard against the Jacksonville Jaguars.

Despite only two career starts, head coach Mike McCarthy believes in Taylor’s skill set and trusts he is more than ready to perform on a consistent basis.

“I have all the confidence in the world in Lane,” McCarthy said during Monday’s press conference. “He’s earned this opportunity. I think he’s done a very good job, particularly in the run-blocking phase of his game. There are some things he needs game experience at, but that’s part of the leap when you make changes. With that, it’s an opportunity to grow.”

The fourth-year pro struggled in the Packers’ preseason finale against the Kansas City Chiefs. Taylor was flagged three times, two of which were holding penalties. In spite of the sloppy performance, Coach McCarthy overlooked Taylor’s mishaps.

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“It’s preseason for the officials, too,” McCarthy said. “I’m very confident in how he played in that game. I thought he was physical and did a lot of good things, and he did some things he needs to improve on.”

Taylor was set to become a restricted free agent this off-season, butin ked a two-year $4.125 million contract, which included $600K guarantee, to return with the Packers.

Pro Football Focus graded each off-season transaction on a scale of A-F and thought the Packers’ decision to re-sign Taylor was mediocre.

Grade: C+. He didn’t look out of place when forced into the starting lineup. This is a useful chunk of change for the insurance of having someone fill in should either of the Packers’ stellar guards be forced from the field.

The former Oklahoma State Cowboy will have huge shoes to fill replacing Sitton.

According to Pro Football Focus, Taylor compiled a 68.5 overall ranking in 155 snaps last season. He performed better as a run blocker (77.1) compared to his pass protection (45.8). Sitton posted an 87.2 overall ranking (91.1 pass blocking & 81.2 run blocking), which was ranked, 6th in the NFL for offensive guards in 1306 snaps.

Sitton found a new home very quickly. The three-time Pro-Bowl guard signed a three-year contract for $21.75 million, with $10 million in guarantees with the Chicago Bears.

Aug 18, 2016; Green Bay, WI, USA; Green Bay Packers guard Josh Sitton (71) during the game against the Oakland Raiders at Lambeau Field. Green Bay won 20-12. Mandatory Credit: Jeff Hanisch-USA TODAY Sports

“I wanted to get the decision made yesterday or today, as quickly as I can,” Sitton said to reporters after Monday’s practice. “I wanted to get to where I was going and be able to learn the offense and be able to jump in right this week. The longer it took, the harder it would have been to learn the offense. Chicago, they had me in first, and they got it done first.”

Although it may have been an unpopular decision to release Sitton, the Packers are comfortable moving forward with their youth as they embark on their journey to Super Bowl 51.