B.J. Raji, defensive lineman
FOX Sports Wisconsin's Paul Imig gives an in-depth statistical analysis and film study of every Packers player in his annual offseason checkup. You can find every report here.
Season stats (playoffs included): Zero games -- tore his right biceps during preseason; placed on injured reserve Aug. 26, 2014
ProFootballFocus.com season rating: N/A
Best game: N/A
Worst game: N/A
Expectations at the start of training camp: Medium
Expectations were . . . Incomplete
Looking live: B.J. Raji had not been playing well in recent years as he entered the 2014 offseason as an unrestricted free agent. He didn't have a sack since 2011 and was ProFootballFocus' lowest-rated defensive lineman in 2013.
Still, the Packers had a plan for Raji in 2014 and signed him to a one-year, $4 million contract. That plan was to move him back to nose tackle. That's the position Raji wanted to play, and it's the one where he found success earlier in his career.
Raji was ranked No. 6 on FOXSportsWisconsin.com's "Most Important Packers of 2013" series. A year later and following another down season, Raji was ranked No. 16 on that list heading into training camp in 2014. I wrote at the time of Raji's 16th spot that "if he returns to his 2010 form -- which he's more than capable of doing, the Packers are a drastically better team for it. Players of Raji's size (6-foot-2, 337 pounds) who can move like he does don't come around often. Now it's up to Raji -- with some help from defensive coordinator Dom Capers putting him in the right spots --- to make a difference for Green Bay's defense."
As Raji reported to training camp, he was excited about the move back to nose tackle. But he also had his expectations somewhat in-check. "It's a process," Raji said following Day 2 of practice. "I'm still trying to regain my instincts and my awareness. Just feeling for certain blocks and what the offense is trying to accomplish. ... I feel like I'm pretty good in close quarters and, generally, right over the center, close-space type of deal.
"Obviously, I still have some work to do, but I think that's my niche."
Upon further review: It didn't take many training camp practices to see that the move back to nose tackle was exactly what Raji needed to rejuvenate his career. On Day 3 of practice, Raji destroyed then-starting center JC Tretter twice on back-to-back snaps in the pass-rush/block drills. A day later, he was recognized in the "Movin' On Up" category of FOXSportsWisconsin.com's Training Camp Report series. Raji was dominant in stopping the run during that practice, badly beating Tretter and Corey Linsley. During the team run period, Raji blew up the play by quickly pushing his way into the backfield. In a red-zone drill, Raji powered Tretter backward on a running play that altered the course for Eddie Lacy.
"B.J.'s in great shape," Mike McCarthy said on July 30. "Some of the things we've changed, not really changed, but what we're emphasizing in B.J.'s particular job responsibility, I think he does very natural."
However, Raji's career revitalization was halted when he caught a helmet to his right biceps during the third preseason game. While Raji hoped it was just a deep bruise and McCarthy initially displayed some optimism, it turned out to be season-ending. Raji later said that "the tendon popped off." And with that, all of the momentum Raji picked up over the past month was gone.
Letroy Guion took Raji's starting spot and had a fairly good season. But with the struggles that Green Bay had stopping the run for many parts of 2014, it would have been interesting to see if it had played out any differently had Raji not been sidelined the entire time. Dom Capers had said he "was expecting (Raji) to have his best year."
One month after the injury occurred, Raji admitted to the reality check that came with suffering a season-ending injury when on a one-year contract. "It's obviously crossed my mind, like, potentially I could be seeing my last games at Lambeau," Raji said on Sept. 18.
Overall 2014 grade: Incomplete
Status for 2015: One-hundred percent chance of being on the active roster to begin next season. Raji and the Packers have reportedly agreed to a one-year, $3.5 million contract that could pay him as much as $4 million for the 2014 season. Now, though, he'll be in a tight competition with Guion, whom Green Bay was very happy with after seeing him in a Packers uniform last season. Raji will turn 29 years old before training camp begins in late July, and he thinks he has many good seasons left in him. "I believe the way that I'm built, number one, and just the way my body holds up physically, the type of work I do in the offseason, I can play a number of more years," Raji said in September 2014. He described the season-ending injury as "an anomaly" and thus doesn't expect to miss much time due to injury for a second consecutive year.
Next: Safety Sean Richardson
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