A day later, defensive lineman Ricky Jean Francois is a member of the Green Bay Packers.
The Packers had Francois in town for a visit on Wednesday and signed him to a one-year deal on Thursday.
After visiting the #Packers, DT Ricky Jean Francois is signing a 1-year deal for $3mil with GB.
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) March 23, 2017
There’s plenty to like here for the Packers. The deal is a modest one and leaves the team with next to no commitment to Francois. Since Francois was released by Washington last week and isn’t technically a free agent, he also doesn’t count as a negative in the compensatory draft pick formula.
At 30, Francois brings a veteran presence to a defensive line is now made up of largely youngsters. He also gives the Packers some insurance for Letroy Guion, who can’t seem to stay off the suspended list. Guion will serve a four-game ban to open the 2017 season, the second suspension of his career.
That raises another question. Could the Packers be far from parting with Guion?
They were quick to dispatch Mike Pennel after his second suspension, last season. We wouldn’t be surprised if the Packers followed suit with Guion.
Seemingly the only thing that’s been keeping him around was a lack of defensive line depth. Fracois, who had 32 tackles and 1.5 sacks in 2016, helps provide that.