Well, it’s now official. Green Bay Packers nose tackle B.J. Raji will miss the entire 2014 season, according to an ESPN source.
Raji suffered a torn bicep in Friday night’s victory over Oakland, leaving the game for good after the second defensive series.
Raji is the fourth player the Packers have lost for the season due to injury, joining receiver Jared Abbrederis, tight end Colt Lyerla and tackle Don Barclay. He’s the first starter.
And hey, it’s still only August. By the time January rolls around, the Packers should have about 20 guys on injured reserve, give or take.
So now what?
Well, first things first. Let’s put this in plain terms. Raji was dog shit last year and although he looked much better this preseason, it’s not as if the Packers just lost someone irreplaceable.
It looks like Josh Boyd will get the first shot at replacing Raji. He did so Friday night and frankly, we didn’t see a difference in the way the D played.
Undrafted rookie Mike Pennel, who has had a hell of a camp, should provide relief for Boyd.
The Packers also have free agent acquisition Letroy Guion on the roster, but he hasn’t played or practiced because of a hamstring injury. We’ve written him off and imagine the Packers probably have too.
If the Packers want some depth, then they’ll look at bringing back Johnny Jolly or Ryan Pickett, both of whom remain free agents.
Honestly, we don’t know that that’s necessary. The Packers were likely only going to keep two nose tackles with Raji healthy. We’re not sure why they would suddenly want three of them.