Yesterday NFL.com reported that B.J. Raji is down to 327 lbs. According to Raji himself, his weight hasn’t been that low since college.
Is this just an interesting tidbit of information or does it mean more for the Packers 2015 campaign?
B.J. arrived in the frozen tundra in 2009 and made a huge impact during the Packers’ Super Bowl run in 2010 when he logged 6.5 sacks and 29 tackles. Since that season, injuries and mediocre play have plagued the big man in the middle. In 2011, he only had 3.0 sacks and 14 tackles, and from 2012 through last season he was a non-factor.
Still, the Packers brought him back on a one-year contract and this perfect storm of circumstances could build into a monstrous season for Raji.
B.J. Raji’s Lowered Weight
A (relatively) slimmer and trimmer B.J. Raji will be more mobile for sure, but, let’s face it…
He’s still a big man and will be able to hold down the middle of the defensive line just fine. He’ll still draw double teams but he should add that quickness he had in 2010 that surprised so many opponents.
B.J. Raji’s Contract
A one-year contract in the NFL is generally a “now or never” statement to a player and B.J. realizes this. If he wants to continue to play in the league he’s got to impress someone this coming season. He needs to play well enough that, even if the Packers don’t resign him, another NFL team will want to bring him in.
Return from Injury
Add to all that the fact that Raji is coming off an injury that kept him on the sidelines throughout the 2014 run and you have a highly motivated player who wants to make a big impact in 2015. The last few minutes of the NFC Championship game wasn’t easy for any Packer (or fan) but I’m sure it was even more difficult for B.J. knowing that, had he been able to contribute during the season (especially the part of the season where we struggled to stop the run), that game might have ended differently or might not have been played in Seattle at all.
It’s certainly important that B.J. get back to his 2010 form early in 2015 both for his sake and for the Packers sake. Likely, we’ll be doing without Guion for the first few games and those are some critical games. Hopefully, Raji will be back to his old self and will play a part in the Packer defense making a huge statement in the early-going.
Injuries for sure, but also being forced to play DE due to injuries to other players (which was not his true position and he struggled there) were the reasons for his mediocre play. I believe this is Raji’s year to return to form at NT and earn his long term contract in GB. But I’ve always been a fan of Raji. Reminds me of Gilbert Brown during his better years. Go Pack go!