NFL: The Green Bay Packers are undergoing one of the more memorable off-seasons in franchise history. Headlined by the massive Aaron Rodgers trade, the Packers became one of the youngest offenses in the NFL in one off-season. Jordan Love, Christian Watson, Romeo Doubs, Luke Musgrave, Tucker Kraft, and Jayden Reed all figure to play significant roles in the offense this off-season. One of the most important aspects of the 2023 Green Bay Packers being successful is protecting their quarterback, and one all-pro was just released that could significantly help with that.
Washington Commanders Release All-Pro Guard Andrew Norwell (NFL)
According to NFL insider Aaron Wilson, the Commanders are cutting Guard Andrew Norwell just before the team begins training camp. Norwell was placed on the PUP (Physically Unable to Perform) List back in May, so he was not occupying a roster spot.
Norwell built on an All-Pro season in 2017 and has been a consistent starter for almost a decade. But Washington is working to rid itself of $4.4 million in salary. Andrew Norwell, 31, went un-drafted in the 2014 NFL Draft before signing with the Carolina Panthers as a free agent. He then spent three more seasons with the team before spending four seasons with the Jacksonville Jaguars and last year with the Washington Commanders.
Norwell signed a two-year, $10 million contract, including a $3.5 million signing bonus with the Commanders in 2022. He had been scheduled to make $3.5 million in base salary and count $5.08 million against the salary cap in 2023 during his final season under contract.
Would The Green Bay Packers Be Interested In Signing Andrew Norwell?
In the last two years, the Packers offensive line started the season somewhat makeshift. David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins recovering from ACL injuries affected the offensive line tremendously. The Packers struggled when both were not in the starting lineup. Last year at the beginning of the season, both players struggled trying to get back into football shape after missing quite a bit of time.
However, in the back half of the season, they got back to full strength, and the Packers offensive line played very well. This year David and Elgton will be in the starting lineup in Week 1 for the first time since 2020 and will create one of the best left guard/tackle duos in the NFL.
Zach Tom will look to be the next great member of the Packers offensive line. He was a late-round steal for the Packers and played well in every game he played as a rookie. Tom was ranked the best pass-blocking rookie, only giving up one sack. He can play any position on the offensive line and most likely will be in the starting lineup.
The Packers signing Andrew Norwell would be a depth piece / competition for the interior offensive line. Zach Tom, Josh Myers, Jon Runyan, and Elgton Jenkins figure to be the four competing for the three interior positions along the offensive line. Norwell would create an even deeper interior offensive line for the team.
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2 Comments
Washington sports writers have been talking about this for months now so it’s hardly unexpected. Norwell was an all pro with the Jaguars but he was a liability with Washington last season.
Washington sports writers have been talking about the release of Norwell for months now so it was hardly what you call unexpected. Norwell, an all pro for the Jaguars ago was arguably the worst player on Washington’s offensive line last year, which is saying a lot.