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The Packers have released 28-year old TE Spencer Havner. Havner played in 21 games (1 start) for the Packers over the last three years and he caught 7 passes for 112 yards (16.0 avg) with 1 TD grab. He also returned 2 kickoffs for 26 yards (13.0 avg) for the Packers. The Packers shouldn’t miss Havner too much going forward as they are pretty loaded at TE for the 2011 season.
The Packers have released 34-year old OT Mark Tauscher. Tauscher played in 4 games (all starts) for the Packers last year. He played in 134 games (132 starts) in his 11 years with the Packers. Tauscher’s injury last season led to the Packers using younger linemen and it cost him his job.
The Packers have released 30-year old linebacker Nick Barnett. Barnett played in 4 games for the Packers last year and he had 24 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 tackle for a loss. Barnett played in 107 games in his 8 years with the Packers and he had 787 tackles, 41 tackles for a loss, 15.5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 7 fumble recoveries, 37 passes defensed and 9 interceptions (1 returned for a TD). Barnett didn’t want to restructure his contract will led to his release. If he’s healthy in 2011, he might make the Packers regret this move.
The Green Bay Packers have released 28-year old linebacker Brandon Chillar. Chillar played in 8 games for the Packers last year and he had 16 tackles, 1 sack, 1 interception and he defensed 1 pass. Chillar played in 34 games in his three years with the Packers and he had 104 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss, 4 sacks, 1 fumble recovery, 1 interception and he defensed 10 passes. Chillar will be replaced by the younger linebackers who stepped up for the Packers last year.
The Packers have released 31-year old linebacker Brady Poppinga. Poppinga played in 6 games for the Packers last year and he had 14 tackles and 1 sack. He played in 81 games in his six years with the Packers and he had 244 tackles, 8 tackles for a loss, 5 sacks, 2 forced fumbles, 2 interceptions and he defensed 7 passes. Poppinga will lose out to the younger linebacker that stepped up while he was injured last year.
The Packers have released 27-year old DT Justin Harrell. Harrell played in 1 game for the Packers last year and he didn’t make any tackles. Harrell played in 14 games in his four years with the Packers and he had 28 tackles and 2 tackles for a loss. Harrell was a first round pick in the 2007 NFL Draft, proving that even a GM as good as Ted Thompson makes mistakes.
The Packers have released TE Donald Lee. Lee played in 15 games for the Packers last season and he caught 11 passes for 73 yards (6.6 avg) with 3 TD grabs. Lee played in 92 games in his six years with the Packers and he caught 178 passes for 1,655 yards (9.4 avg) with 17 TD grabs. The Packers like Jermichael Finley and Andrew Quarless better than Lee, so they shouldn’t miss him too much.
The Packers have released 25-year old safety Derrick Martin. Martin played in 5 games for the Packers last season and he had 9 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception. Martin played in 19 games in his 2 seasons with the Packers and he had 34 tackles, 1 pass defensed and 1 interception. The Packers shouldn’t miss Martin too much going forward.
The Packers have released 27-year old inside linebacker A.J. Hawk to avoid paying him $10 million bucks in 2011. They will likely try to re-sign him to a much smaller contract. Hawk played in all 16 games for the Packers and he had 111 tackles, 3 tackles for a loss, 1/2 a sack, 3 interceptions and 1 fumble recovery. Hawk has played in 80 games in his five years with the Packers and he had 511 tackles, 25 passes defensed, 9 sacks, 2 forced fumbles and 8 interceptions. The Packers better make sure they re-sign Hawk because he would be a hard player to replace.
UPDATE: The Packers have re-signed A.J. Hawk to a 5-year deal worth between $30-$35 million bucks.
The Packers have waived 25-year old linebacker Rob Francois. Francois played in 3 games for the Packers this year and he had 1 tackle. The Packers have activated rookie RB James Starks off the Physically Unable to Perform List. This is good news for the Packers as they could use some help at running back behind Brandon Jackson & John Kuhn.
