Rick Wagner turned out to be smart signing by Packers
The Green Bay Packers released veteran offensive tackle Rick Wagner on Friday, helping the team inch closer to getting under the projected salary cap in 2021.
While his two-year deal was cut in half and turned into a one-year deal, Wagner was an important part of the Packers’ 2020 season and represented a smart signing by general manager Brian Gutekunst.
Knowing he couldn’t afford to bring back free-agent right tackle Bryan Bulaga, Gutekunst turned to Wagner, a veteran recently cut by the Detroit Lions. He added the Wisconsin native at a discount price, and Wagner gave the Packers a solid starter at a key position throughout the season.
Wagner’s two-year deal was worth only $11 million, with a signing bonus of $3.5 million. By offensive tackle standards, Wagner was hardly making starter-level pay in 2020, but he performed like one of the NFL’s upper-tier players at the position.
According to Pro Football Focus, Wagner allowed only 16 total pressures, including just one sack, and didn’t commit a penalty while playing 608 total snaps during the regular season. He finished the season ranked among the top 25 offensive tackles in the NFL by overall grade and pass-blocking grade.
ESPN’s metrics had Wagner as the eighth-best offensive tackle by pass block win rate. An offensive lineman is given a win on a snap if he sustains his block for 2.5 seconds or more.
Wagner’s presence allowed the Packers to mix and match combinations along the offensive line. With right tackle under control, Billy Turner was moved all around the offensive line as needed, helping Matt LaFleur put five capable linemen on the field for every snap despite injuries throughout the year to Turner, center Corey Linsley and left tackle David Bakhtiari.
The Packers ended up allowing just 20 sacks of Aaron Rodgers during the regular season. The harmony between the passing game and the protection helped the Packers create the No. 1 scoring offense in the NFL.
Overall, Wagner played in every game and started 11 total games, all at right tackle. He was on the field for almost 65 percent of the offense’s total snaps. He briefly played left tackle as a substitute against the Atlanta Falcons and Tampa Bay Buccaneers and was the starter at right tackle for the final seven games, including the playoffs.
Without Wagner and knowing Bakhtiari is probably a long shot to be ready for the start of next season while recovering from an ACL injury, the Packers will likely need to invest resources – either in free agency or the draft – to bolster the depth at offensive tackle. If Turner has to play left tackle in place of Bakhtiari to start 2021, the Packers would need to either move left guard Elgton Jenkins to right tackle or find a new player capable of starting.
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