The Green Bay Packers signed guard Jahri Evans on Wednesday, a little pre-draft surprise by general manager Ted Thompson.
Evans will presumably enter the competition at right guard, which was previously headlined by career backup Don Barclay. Kyle Murphy, a 2016 draft pick, and Lucas Patrick, a former undrafted free agent, were/are also in the mix.
Like everyone else signed by Thompson this offseason (with the exception of tight end Martellus Bennett), Evans was released by his former team. The New Orleans Saints cut ties with him in February after 11 seasons.
Evans has made six Pro Bowls and was a first-team All Pro four times. However, those years are behind him. His last All-Pro nod was in 2012.
Evans will be 34 in August and was rated as only the 36th-best guard in the NFL by Pro Football Focus in 2016.
The question, at this point is, is Evans better than Barclay or the two youngsters? We’ll see during training camp.
Evans’ career trajectory is obviously pointing down. At best, he’s probably a one-year stop-gap solution.
The good news is, Evans is durable. He’s only missed seven games in 11 seasons.
Probably the best news is, the Packers don’t need to worry about guard in the draft. If they’d just sign Jason McCourty, they might not need to worry about cornerback either.