The Green Bay Packers suddenly have a gaping hole at inside linebacker. Jake Ryan’s torn ACL opened up a starting job next to Blake Martinez and although the team has a host of athletic and talented players vying to replace him — including third-round rookie Oren Burks — sometimes experience is a necessity.
The Packers have options to fill in for Ryan in the passing game, with Burks and second-year pro Ahmad Thomas both impressing in coverage to this point. However, bringing a thump in the run game and filling in for Ryan’s special teams contributions are factors that might necessitate an outside move.