Packers 2017 Recap: OL Adam Pankey
Days after the Packers defeated the Seahawks to open the 2017 season, the team released defensive tackle and offseason free agent acquisition Ricky Jean Francois to sign offensive lineman Adam Pankey.
Pankey, an undrafted rookie out of West Virginia, was called upon to add depth at tackle while both David Bakhtiari and Bryan Bulaga were injured.
2017 Stats
- Appeared in one game and one special teams snap
Expectations going into the season: Low
Expectations were: Met
Analysis: Pankey helped provide depth during offensive line crisis
Adam Pankey began his tenure with the Packers as an unheralded, undrafted free agent. He had the credentials from his time with West Virginia – a three-year starter at left tackle and guard – but so does everyone else in the room.
2017 marked the first time since 2008 that the Packers opened training camp without either of their talented guards Josh Sitton or T.J. Lang. Pankey was part of a flood of undrafted free agents brought in to compete for a spot behind incumbent starters Lane Taylor and Jahri Evans.
Pankey began training camp as the team’s third-string left tackle. Thanks to his hard work, the lineman put together a strong training camp and preseason. By Week 2, he found himself on the active roster with an opportunity to play significant time.
If Green Bay had suffered one more injury early in the season on the offensive line, Pankey was likely to be the next man up. 2018 gives him an opportunity to defend his roster spot against a host of new, undrafted free agents just like he was in 2017.
