GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Three years ago, Derek Sherrod was the Green Bay Packers' first-round pick. A tall, long, smart offensive tackle with a chance for a bright future. Now, Sherrod is an ex-Packer.
In a somewhat surprising post-bye roster move, Green Bay released Sherrod to make room on the active roster. Sherrod's spot now belongs to offensive lineman JC Tretter, whose stint on the temporary injured reserve list concluded.
One hour before the move was made, head coach Mike McCarthy hinted that some changes might be coming.
"You look at your 63-man roster and the areas you're continuing to try to develop, and that's something I think we'll see in the next couple days," McCarthy said. "There may be some changes. We're a work in progress."
Sherrod's career got off to a rough start in 2011. First, he was unable to win a starting job in training camp. Then, when Sherrod got on the field in Week 15 at Kansas City, he suffered a broken right leg. That injury sidelined him for the entire 2012 season, as well.
Sherrod had to step into the right tackle role early this season when Bryan Bulaga got hurt. However, Sherrod didn't fare well. He played 42 snaps in Week 1 at Seattle then got his first career start in Week 2. In those two games, Sherrod gave up three sacks and had a combined ProFootballFocus rating of minus-8.2.
Sherrod's release could mean the Packers are ready to make Tretter a top backup at every position, including tackle. Tretter, a 2013 fourth-round pick, was supposed to be Green Bay's starting center this year before a preseason knee injury landed him on injured reserve with the designation to return. Tretter's versatility could have him perfectly suited to be what Don Barclay was in recent years: a swing player capable of playing anywhere along the offensive line.
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