Packers Should Cut / Upgrade Letroy Guion

In baseball when a batter steps up to the plate and receives three strikes, he is out.

The same should hold true for Green Bay Packers defensive tackle Letroy Guion after he received another season-opening suspension by the NFL, spanning four games for violating the league’s performance enhancing drug policy.

Guion has repeatedly shown an inability to stay out of trouble, largely documented by multiple Milwaukee Journal-Sentinel stories the past two seasons. The reports showed an individual that was charged on three occasions in Florida for stalking and a pair of domestic violence cases. One of the domestic violence incidents had Guion charged for hitting the mother of his child in the face. Where there is smoke, there is fire. With Guion, the smoke seems to be a representation of a lot of his issues.

Guion’s last incident was in 2015 which involved a gun, $190,000 in cash and nearly a pound of marijuana after a traffic stop. It was documented that Guion had marijuana smoke emanating from his vehicle and was forced into handcuffs after being aggressive with police, who originally stopped him for crossing the centerline. Even more bizarre were the comments from his father joking in the official police report which claimed that Guion routinely brought the “best weed you ever smoked”.

The incident cost him the first three games of the 2015 season, but the Packers stuck by him. This time should be different for the 29-year-old starting defensive tackle, as his play on Sunday no longer makes up for his off-the-field transgressions. While it was reported yesterday that the Packers agreed to a restructured deal with him, it is my understanding that they could save over $3 million by releasing him. Sounds like a perfect opportunity to remove a repeat offender and upgrade his position.

Guion was often non-existent during his ninth season, only posting 30 tackles primarily in a run-situation rotational role. He has shown some consistency in being solid against the run utilizing his strength, but he has never been more than just an average player. He also rarely pressures the quarterback when they drop back to pass, Guion has not posted a sack since his first season with the Packers when he posted 3.5 in 2014.

Whether it is Guion’s third, fourth or fiftieth strike; the Packers should move in a different direction. My preference would be for the Packers to land a defensive tackled that could be serviceable against the run and provide pass rush along the defensive front, something the Packers have lacked desperately. The Chiefs’ Dontari Poe and Giants’ Johnathan Hankins are the first to come to mind, but they may prove to be priced outside of the modest budget for Ted Thompson. I think Philadelphia’s Bennie Logan could also provide good run support, and be an upgrade over Guion.

While these options could prove far off Green Bay’s radar, getting a pass rush up front could bolster the 2017 defense. Kenny Clark certainly flashed at times last season, hopefully he makes a big jump next season. This impact could be heightened if Nick Perry leaves Green Bay during free agency and leaves them without a consistent rusher opposite of Clay Matthews. It could force them to rely on a Julius Peppers, Datone Jones, Kyler Fackrell or a rookie at outside backer.

That trifecta of players seems frightening to this fan, but the impact could be lessened if the tackle is upgraded with Guion’s departure. 

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Comments (20)

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akeemthedream's picture

March 08, 2017 at 05:48 pm

Lots of PED and pot stories coming out of Green Bay the last couple of years.

If you're going to abandon the whole "Packer people" ethos, might as well get turds who can actually play football well.

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dobber's picture

March 08, 2017 at 06:22 pm

Lots of PED and pot stories coming out of most NFL cities these days...

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gr7070's picture

March 08, 2017 at 06:37 pm

Guion's a solid DL with a reasonable salary and on a short contact. Ignoring the suspension he's a nice player to have on the roster/in the rotation. I don't see how cutting him helps the team.

Clearly he's not a saint off the field.

"a defensive tackled that could be serviceable against the run and provide pass rush along the defensive front"

That's exactly what Clark projects to be.

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TarynsEyes's picture

March 08, 2017 at 07:08 pm

The uproar, if there is one, should be about his play while getting caught taking PED'S and still playing at below average level, having some support from fans who like being duped by a dope. : )

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Point-Packer's picture

March 08, 2017 at 09:36 pm

True. Imagine what that POS would be like on the field if he wasn't on PEDs.

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stockholder's picture

March 08, 2017 at 07:30 pm

How many chances do you want to give these guys. They just keep hurting the team this way. Is this why Jones didn't get a contract yet? I still blame TT. Why can't they just start their interview process asking," Have you ever done s**t." Then don't draft them! Maybe we shouldn't sign Jones. TT has got to stay away from signing players with red flags. This just isn't live and learn. What a way to blow your career and hurt your mates. We should not condone this. Good Bye Guion!

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Thegreatreynoldo's picture

March 09, 2017 at 03:39 am

I don't see how cutting Guion helps our team.

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stockholder's picture

March 09, 2017 at 07:21 am

I don't see how being in trouble with the law and being suspended helps it? You can't help stupid. HE'S MADE HIS CHOICE. PEDS ARE MORE IMPORTANT.

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Donster's picture

March 09, 2017 at 05:25 am

He is not a high caliber NFL player. He is average at best. Time to say "Buh bye". I hope he can get his life together. Seems he has a lot of issues. Good luck to him, whether the Pack keeps him or not.

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Roadrunner23's picture

March 09, 2017 at 07:24 am

This begs the question, how many of us in our 20's would be in the same boat. Of course, domestic violence is always a very bad and inexcusable issue, but that aside a bit of weed smoking in the off-season (or during the season if your name is Sam Shields or Geronimo) and the whole PED thing where many players seek to get an edge in a very competitive sport with millions of dollars at stake if you don't make the team.
Bottom line is most of these guys are good dude's in their 20's, let's cut them some slack, who are we to judge when most of us have made many questionable decision's in our 20's and even beyond.

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Tundraboy's picture

March 09, 2017 at 08:54 am

True, but if I made the that much money and was caught like last time, I would find a way to clean up my act for more than a year.

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Roadrunner23's picture

March 09, 2017 at 07:24 am

This begs the question, how many of us in our 20's would be in the same boat. Of course, domestic violence is always a very bad and inexcusable issue, but that aside a bit of weed smoking in the off-season (or during the season if your name is Sam Shields or Geronimo) and the whole PED thing where many players seek to get an edge in a very competitive sport with millions of dollars at stake if you don't make the team.
Bottom line is most of these guys are good dude's in their 20's, let's cut them some slack, who are we to judge when most of us have made many questionable decision's in our 20's and even beyond.

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Tundraboy's picture

March 09, 2017 at 07:25 am

Hope he has saved up some money and cuts back his lifestyle because he is approaching a point in his life where his income will nosedive. Guess he will become a pot farmer. Talk about dumb. Has anyone else been suspended for multiple games to start a season more than once?

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dobber's picture

March 09, 2017 at 07:47 am

I would start by looking at Dallas's roster...

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Tundraboy's picture

March 09, 2017 at 08:51 am

Oh yes. Forgot about them.

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Tundraboy's picture

March 09, 2017 at 07:27 am

Deleted.

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NickPerry's picture

March 09, 2017 at 07:39 am

*

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egbertsouse's picture

March 09, 2017 at 08:13 am

Cut the bum, now!

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Matt Gonzales's picture

March 09, 2017 at 08:47 am

They will have the preseason plus four weeks to evaluate if Clark and Lowry (plus any new DL acquisition via the draft, FA, or UDFA) have improved enough to make him expendable. My guess is the Packers will wait and, if they like what they see, will cut him before they would need to reactivate him.

We need guys who play well on run downs and can both tie up blockers or hold the point of attack. If any of our other DLs show they can consistently do this in subpackages where we play a 2-man front he is gone.

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Oppy's picture

March 10, 2017 at 01:32 am

If Guion is gone, it's just going to mean that Brian Price has a better chance to see PT this season once he makes the 53. :)

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