Green Bay's Top Free-Agency Targets at Right Tackle

The 2014 Green Bay Packers offensive line was probably the best quarterback Aaron Rodgers has ever played behind. With only one new starter entering this past season's lineup, it would be beneficial for the Packers to keep their current chemistry going, heading into a third consecutive year.

Their current right tackle is Bryan Bulaga, a former first-round selection out of the University of Iowa. When selected, he was thought of as a left tackle of the future, but after injuries and David Bakhtiari's emergence, he was moved to the right bookend spot full-time.

Sustaining an injury in the Week 1 battle against the Seattle Seahawks, Green Bay fans were exposed to what could happen without Bulaga. In came Derek Sherrod, another former first-round tackle, and out went the team's chances at winning the game. Sherrod was cut midseason and finished the regular season off a roster. He's currently on a futures contract with the Kansas City Chiefs.

Behind Bulaga, there wasn't much quality depth on the roster at the position in 2014. Don Barclay, the typical backup, spent the season recovering from a knee injury. He, like Bulaga, is a free agent in the coming offseason.

The only other option the team can truly consider moving into the starting lineup is J.C. Tretter, a college left tackle, tight end and quarterback who missed his rookie season of 2013 and was slated to start at center in 2014 before an injury vaulted rookie Corey Linsley into the starting role, cementing him in the team's future plans.

Even Tretter, though, has issues. According to Mock Draftable, the offensive lineman ranks in the second percentile in height and the 19th percentile in arm length, not ideal for a bookend.

If Bulaga should for some reason walk, leaving Green Bay as the top tackle in the upcoming free-agency class, the team might have to look into signing a veteran to replace him.

Doug Free

Duane Burleson/Associated Press

Doug Free is coming off the books for the Dallas Cowboys, who may have had the best offensive line in the league in 2014. The tackle opposite of Tyron Smith, Free got little recognition nationally for his play, but not being noticed might be the best thing you can say about an offensive lineman.

Drafted in 2007, he's no young man, but he's still progressing, at least in the eyes of Pro Football Focus. In 2012, he finished with a grade of minus-13.4. The next season, he scored plus-13.1, and in limited time during 2014, he had plus-8.5.

When the Cowboys opted to draft Zack Martin at No. 16 overall last season, many speculated that the guard would soon flip to right tackle, with Dallas only playing him at guard to ease him into the role. Martin's done very well as a guard, and with Free likely leaving, he's the young cat pushing the veteran out of the door.

If Free was to be added to the Packers, he'd be a day-one starter. Playing on a good offensive line while personally standing out, the team could use a player who performs well in both pass protection and zone blocking.

Michael Roos

Wade Payne/Associated Press

After a decade of left tackle play in Tennessee, it looks like Michael Roos is going to be able to play wherever he wants in 2015. Never playing on a championship team, it'll be interesting if the player in the twilight of his career would be willing to pass up some money to put himself in a position to start for a contender.

He's a different type of approach to the position than Free is, though. Free could probably start for the team for a long contract's worth of years. Roos, who appears to have been replaced by 2014 first-round pick Taylor Lewan, will be 33 by the end of the 2015 season.

Roos isn't the type of player you make an investment in long-term, but he's a bandage that allows you to develop an offensive lineman on the bench, and throughout Green Bay's history under general manager Ted Thompson, they've leaned toward the draft and develop mentality. Of their four starters locked in for 2015, three are former fourth-round picks and the other is a fifth-rounder.

The team doesn't need to spend a bunch of resources on an individual because the nature of offensive line play is more about the unit. Green Bay has proved over the years that it can flip a mid-round selection into a functional starter. If Roos were to come to Wisconsin for his final tour around the NFL, he could allow for the progression of a franchise right tackle on the bench.

King Dunlap

Denis Poroy/Associated Press

In his four years in Philadelphia, King Dunlap had only 19 starts. So, during his first contract, he was averaging fewer than five live looks a season. Emerging in San Diego as a functional starter, he's been a bit of a surprise, and a steal, for the Chargers.

The first thing you notice about Dunlap is his size. At 6'9" and 330 pounds, he's a giant who towers against everyone he faces. There's a mindset that some scouts believe "long and strong" is the way to approach the right tackle position, and Dunlap embodies the phrase.

He's still under 30, but he's not going to get any younger. While Free is a four-year type of player and Roos has one or two seasons left in him, Dunlap is in that mid-range. He will probably receive a three- or four-year contract, but after 2016, it's hard to feel secure that he will absolutely be playing at starting caliber.

Sort of like Roos, Dunlap is a solid transitional tackle who will buy you time to draft a long-term replacement to Bryan Bulaga.

Don Barclay

Morry Gash/Associated Press

Most quality offensive tackles don't hit the open market because they're so rare. There's not many humans that are 6'4", over 300 pounds and can move smoothly on a football field. This is why a majority of the options the Packers are given are no more than a one- or two-year plan at the right tackle spot.

If Green Bay is going to bring in a guy short-term, a move that makes sense is someone who already knows the system. After years of rotating their offensive line, the Packers' chemistry really started to take off the past two years. Don Barclay has experience with three of the four other starters on the offensive line, making him a good candidate for that transition tackle role.

If nothing else, he'd go back to being a sixth offensive lineman who is a swing tackle, just as before. There's really no downside to his presence on the squad, assuming the team doesn't get into some sort of out-of-hand bidding war for the tackle, who hasn't ever really been a full-time starter.

Coming off a missed season, he shouldn't cost much, and if healthy, he could make a large impact on which type of targets Green Bay is able to look at in the coming draft class.

Darrion Weems

Rick Scuteri/Associated Press

Darrion Weems might be the most intriguing tackle in this class because of his potential. He's never seen significant time in the league, but he's been doing well enough to stay on NFL rosters and is slated to be a restricted free agent. This means the Packers would have to part with a draft selection to bring in the 26-year-old tackle.

Noted with a high upside, he's played at the University of Oregon and in Dallas, two spots with heavy zone-blocking leans, perfect for a swap into Mike McCarthy's offense. Some, such as Sully Sparks, a former offensive lineman turned social media lineman pundit, have given him high praise.

"

If your team needs OT help the best OT nobody knows about is in Dallas. Think he's on IR this year though. Darrion Weems

— Welp (@SullyFootball) October 13, 2014"

He's more than likely beginning on the bench, coming in to develop, but in a year or two, Weems could make the move into the starting lineup. At his age, that would still give him about four years of quality play, if he were to make it to that level.

It's going to take effort and time to get Weems to where you want him, but he's got the tools to do anything you'd want him to, and with low wear, his semi-aged body could be preserved.