The Green Bay Packers released a total of seven players today. The list includes: LB Nick Barnett, LB Brandon Chillar, DE Justin
Nick Barnett
Harrell, LB Brady Poppinga and T Mark Tauscher. The team also waived first-year S Michael Greco and first-year LB Curtis Young.
Barnett, who was selected in the first round by the Packers in 2003, ranks No. 2 in franchise history with 1,014 career tackles (703 solo). He started all 107 games that he appeared in during his eight seasons in Green Bay and led the team in tackles five times. In 2005, Barnett set the single-season franchise mark with 194 tackles (128 solo), breaking a 24-year old mark of 180 held by LB Mike Douglass (1981). Barnett was limited to four games in 2010 due to a wrist injury.
Chillar signed with the Packers in 2008 as an unrestricted free agent from St. Louis. He played in 34 games with 12 starts during his three seasons in Green Bay. He was limited to eight games in 2010 due to a shoulder injury after missing just seven games in his first six NFL seasons.
Harrell was drafted in the first round by Green Bay in 2007 and appeared in 14 games with two starts during his four seasons with the Packers. He’ll go down as Ted Thompson’s biggest draft blunder. Harrell played in seven games as za rookie in 2007, recording 24 tackles (13 solo) that season. He was limited to seven games over the past three seasons due to injuries. In all, the Packers paid Harrell nearly $9-million in salary and bonuses during his stay in Green Bay.
Poppinga was a fourth round pick by the Packers in 2005. He played in 81 games with 44 starts during his six seasons in Green Bay. Poppinga registered 271 tackles (174 solo), five sacks, two interceptions, two forced fumbles and eight passes defensed during his career. Poppinga played in a career-low six games in 2010 after his season was cut short by a knee injury.
Tauscher was a seventh-round pick of the Packers back in 2000 and was one of the more popular players during his 11-year career. Tauscher played in 134 games with 132 starts. He was named the team’s Ed Block Courage Award winner in 2008, following a 2007 season that saw him start all 16 games for the Packers and helped the teams offense reach a No. 2 ranking in the NFL in 2009. Tauscher returned from a significant knee injury sustained the previous seasons to start eight games and help the Packers offense allow only 10 sacks in the final seven games.