Sean Rhyan. Kirby Lee-USA TODAY Sports

Insider says Packers could cut ties with disappointing rookie

By Michael Gallagher | Last updated Feb 27, 2023 5:32 PM ET

Even as a rookie, Sean Rhyan was expected to compete for a starting spot on the Green Bay Packers offensive line in 2022.

However, he was beaten out by fellow rookie Zach Tom and relegated to just one special teams snap all year. A season-ending suspension put an exclamation point in a significantly disappointing first year, which is why Matt Schneidman of The Athletic believes Green Bay could cut Rhyan as it tries to add more cap space than the $5.89 million it currently has.

“The two biggest-name candidates to be cap-related cuts were running back Aaron Jones and left tackle David Bakhtiari, but Jones already took a pay cut to ensure he stays in Green Bay, and the Packers figure to restructure Bakhtiari’s contract,” Schneidman wrote. “There’s really nobody I see getting cut to free up chunks of cap space, but for the purpose of this exercise, I’ll say it’s Rhyan. He was suspended for the last six games of his rookie season in 2022 for violating the league’s policy on performance-enhancing substances.”

Packers OL Sean Rhyan was the only third-round pick in the 2022 draft to play zero offensive or defensive snaps as a rookie.

Rhyan played 1 special teams snap.

Only third-rounder to play in fewer than 4 games too.
— Zach Kruse (@zachkruse2) January 22, 2023

Although Ryhan’s cap hit is a minimal $1.16 million, a post-June 1 release would save Green Bay nearly $1 million.

A 2022 third-round pick, Rhyan was passed over for Tom, a 2022 fourth-round pick, in Week 8 when the Packers needed a replacement for guard Elgton Jenkins. Tom played 489 offensive snaps over nine games, allowing 12 pressures, seven hurries and one sack.

With Jenkins and Jon Runyan Jr. holding down the two guard spots, and Tom, Royce Newman and David Bakhtiari, who’s a candidate for a contract restructure, manning the tackle positions, Rhyan could be the odd man out.

Michael Gallagher

Michael Gallagher is a longtime sports journalist based out of Nashville with a decade of experience covering college football, mixed martial arts and prep sports plus the NFL and NHL — specifically the Tennessee Titans and Nashville Predators. He’s covered several notable sporting events including an AFC Championship game, a Stanley Cup Final, an NHL All-Star Game and an NHL Stadium Series. Some of his past bylines can be found at the Nashville Scene, SB Nation, The Hockey News and Fox Sports Knoxville

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