The Green Bay Packers have what appear to be plenty of capable tight ends on the roster. They just might end up shipping one of them somewhere else.
Ed Werder is reporting that teams have been inquiring about trading for one of the team’s tight ends and it appears Brandon Bostick is drawing the most interest.
Hearing teams inquiring with Packers about trade for TE. Packers feel position of strength. Brandon Bostick drawing attention.
— Ed Werder (@WerderEdESPN) August 26, 2013
Bostick was an undrafted free agent last year and spent all of last season on the Packers practice squad. Despite that, he’s had an impressive preseason and seems to have a decent shot at making the final roster.
The only thing that could derail him there appears to be the logjam at tight end. In addition to starter Jermichael Finley, the Packers have D.J. Williams, Andrew Quarless, Ryan Taylor and Matthew Mulligan, who they signed as a free agent in the offseason.
William and Taylor were on the active roster last season and Quarless was on injured reserve.
You have to think all of those guys have a pretty decent shot at making it again this year, but someone from the group has to go. Six tight ends is a luxury the Packers can’t afford.
The Oakland Raiders have been mentioned as a potential trade partner. They’re pretty thin at the position and former Packers exec Reggie McKenzie is the GM in Oakland.
If the Packers get anything for Bostick, that’s a win since he was undrafted. Although, our bet is the team would prefer to keep and develop him and move one of the other guys.
You can’t have too many tight ends……John Brodie
I agree – Michael Jackson
I’ve seen enough of DJ Williams dropping passes. Does Oakland have any extra good C/G players?
When was the last time the packers had a good tight end?
Bubba Franks but he was mainly a goaline TD threat.
Chmura
The “Tool Box” Ed West.
A great time to get rid of Jermichael F. I’d be happy for a 2-3 RD pick. Quarless seams more of a man! Finley is a child! Dreams..
Are you insane?
yeah, let’s throw in even that guy Aaron, i’ve never liked him.
Maybe we can trade Oakland for Charles?
took the words right outta my mouth
Oakland is the LAST team that is going to be trading away any O live talent…
Oakland has no good players. You trade for draft picks only.
I would keep Quarless and look to move Bostic or DJ Williams.
Lechler and Seabass (ya know their 1st round kicker?). Would love to see em trade Crosby and Williams for him, never gonna happen though.
Bostick is young with upside. I wouldn’t trade him. If only one TE has to go, it has to be WIlliams. Williams was supposed to be some amazing receiving threat and he never amounted to much. It’s time the Williams experiment is over. Whether he’s traded or cut.
Trade Finley and get something for him…Here’s why….Good or bad season…I don’t think we keep him. Finley is shutting his mouth and trying to play for a big contract. He does not have any loyality to the Packers as has been proven in the past. He’s playing for himself, not the team…..Mark my words….Finley will sign with another team, then he will go off at the mouth about the Packers this, Packers that, Rodgers this, Rodgers that. (Worse than Jennings)….THEN…..Monty will rip him in articles in here, and all of you will hate the dude. Just watch. Finley hasn’t changed, it’s a selfish contract year…Trade the overpaid child.
Totally agree with all the underlying sentiment, but think that the Pack needs to suck whatever juice the head case has this season out of him for the $16MM they pissed away on him (sure don’t want to waste money on any FA’s, right TT?), then tag his ass and work out a sign and trade deal with a ‘large market’ team where the allure of the media will be too much for him to resist (New Yok Jets?) Let those fuckers try to figure out that weird hand wave/’fin’ thing he has going on. Then maybe someday I’ll be able to witness the ‘YOTTO’. Sure never saw it in Green and Gold.
Keep Bostick, cut that hump Williams, and have Quarless and Ryan Taylor for the 4 deep.
Don’t the Packers need at least one TE that can catch? They have one that starts that can’t block or catch.
HoooAh, well said. Finley would be an absolutely perfect fit for “Gang Green”, the only way that team could fall any further, outside of having a murderer on the team, would be to sign YOTTOMan. Speaking of teams with murderers, I could see the Patriots making a trad for him, they often trade draft spots with the Pack and their star TEs are injury prone and in the clink, respectively. In reality theres probably at least 20 teams that would be willing to trade something decent for him, particularly if he has a “breakout” season.
As for the TE depth, personally I’d rather have Mulligan instead if Taylor, really, who doesn’t need a mulligan every now and then?
Bostick is the only one with some play-making upside like Finley; got to keep him when Finley leaves after this season. Quarless really wasn’t that special before the injury; Ryan and Williams have not shown much.
For all the blather about TE options, HB-stuff, etc — McCarthy never seems to use much of it. So, if healthy, the TEs are special teams guys. I think it’d be better to keep Palmer/Barrington as ST players, as they might be needed more.
I think GB needs to go heavy on defense, as a new oLine may be under heavy pressure — no time to pass, no holes for the running backs. Keeping a number of the dLine guys, as well as extra LBs, may be a good move. An unsettled oLine may lead to a lot of 3-n-outs — so a bunch of mediocre, seldom-see-the-field offensive players won’t matter a drop.
Agreed, the best bet would seem to be to release/trade Williams, cut/PS Stoneburner, cut Taylor unless there is somehow anyroom for another pure special teamer, and use players like Barrington, Palmer, Mulumba, and maybe even Hyde (assuming we have 4 other concurrently healthy CBs) and Banjo on the coverage units.
As for Quarless, he definitely doesn’t appear to have Finley’s natural ability; but he’s a hard worker who is a serviceable number one TE in the passing game, though he does suffer from gator arms on occasion.
If Finley plays well, he prices himself out of GB. If he plays poorly, he’ll want more than we’re willing to pay him. This is his last year. Now that we’ve got that certainty out of the way, all I read all summer is how Bostick looks a lot like Finley on the field… In a good way. We let Finley play this year as he should have a solid one (contract year) and we need him to, then hopefully Bostick can step in next year and not be too much of a drop off.
I find it hard to believe that anybody would give jack squat for Williams, but if they would, you take it, in a heartbeat.
Quarless… I don’t see given his injury history anybody trading for him, but my take is, you keep that guy. If he can get/stay healthy, he’s our best “overall” TE.
Agree on the Finley scenarios, except GB holds the all powerful Franchise Tag card that could force him to play another year or even two at a relatively reasonable price, should he in fact play well. And those one year deals may be what is needed to get the most out of him. Not really a horrible scenario since GB is always cap healthy.
Meanwhile develop Bostick as his eventual replacement.
All of the other guys are relatively interchangeable.