The Green Bay Packers had some decisions to make along their defensive line. The retirement of BJ Raji certainly threw a wrench into some of their plans. Last week they made another decision along their defensive line that was puzzling.

Josh Boyd missed all but a game and a half of last season with a horrific ankle injury that he suffered in a week 2 win over the Seattle Seahawks. That ankle injury caused him to land on injured reserve. It appears that injury also cost him his job in Green Bay.

Boyd was released last week with a failed physical designation. Despite the failed physical, the timing of the move does not make a lot of sense. The Packers have a need along their defensive line. By the end of last season, their defensive line was arguably a strength of the club. They controlled the line of scrimmage in both of their playoff games. That allowed Dom Capers to unleash his pass rush because they were in a favorable down and distance.

Veterans Letroy Guion and BJ Raji both played very well in the playoffs. Combine that with the consistently stellar play of Mike Daniels and it becomes easily seen that the Packers were able to play strong up front.

Raji retired in March, which took one of their key veterans away from their group. Datone Jones is moving to outside linebacker. While the Packers did use two of their draft picks on the defensive line there is a lot of inexperience along that positional group.

Kenny Clark was the team’s first round pick. He has a versatile skill set that should be able to help the team. He is also young. Clark will enter the league at 20-years-old. While he is talented, growing pains should be expected during his first season.

Dean Lowry was the other player selected along the defensive line. He is an intriguing athlete with a body type that the Packers have not had on their defense since Capers arrived. He actually has the body type of your prototypical 3-4 defensive end. Lowry should be able to contribute as a run stuffer early in his career. As he gets more comfortable in his body he should become a solid pass rusher.

Both of those players should play roles in their first season. Even with that being the case, that is a lot of reliance on youth to contribute for a team that is expected to compete for a Super Bowl.

Boyd was never a star in the front seven. You would not see him making plays like JJ Watt or Aaron Donald in the opposing backfield.

He did however carve out a nice role in the Packers defense. He was a solid rotational player. That is a fact that makes his release even more puzzling.

Boyd was not going to be a piece that made or broke the team’s defensive line in 2016. Nobody was going to confuse him with Mike Daniels. He could have provided a veteran presence to help some of the young guys along in their rookie season.

Even if the injury was bad enough to make the doctors nervous, the timing is still puzzling. The Packers did not have to release Boyd when they did. They could have easily continued to let him rehab with the team doctors. If Boyd continued to rehab and was healthy by the time camp began he could have started with the team.

If the front office then decided that young guys were a better option, then Boyd’s release would have made more sense.

With Boyd’s release the Packers now have two players on their front that have experience. Guion and Daniels are solid contributors, but the team needs depth with the way they like to rotate their defensive linemen.

Clark and Lowry should be able to carve out a role early in their rookie season. They still could have used a solid veteran contributor for the 2016 season. That is why the release of a solid player in the middle of May was puzzling to say the least.

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