Williams franchised; Franks released

On Wednesday, February 20, 2008, the Packers made two significant roster moves. The team placed the franchise tag on defensive tackle Corey Williams after is breakout season, and released veteran tight end Bubba Franks after years of declining play.

The Packers offered Williams a one-year contract tender worth $6.363 million, the average of the league's top five defensive tackles in 2007. Williams is still allowed to talk to other teams, but the Packers reserve the right to match that offer or they receive compensation in draft picks from the other team.

Williams had a career year in 2007, totaling 51 tackles, 32 solo, and tied a career-high with seven sacks. The Packers already have plenty of depth at the defensive tackle position with Ryan Pickett, Justin Harrell, Colin Cole, and Johnny Jolly. Re-signing Williams gives the Packers one of the best interior defensive lines in the NFL.

An era ended Thursday with the departure of Bubba Franks. Franks, a first-round draft choice out of Miami in 2000, spent eight years with the organization. He started 94 of 114 career games, catching 256 catches for 2,300 yards and 32 touchdowns. The 32 touchdowns rank tenth all-time on the team's list.

Franks' performance had declined in recent years and saw his playing time decrese significantly with the emergence of Donald Lee. In 2007, Franks started one of eight games he played in and recorded only 18 catches for 132 yards and three touchdowns. Franks' third year in the league, 2002, was arguably his most successful. He caught a career-high 54 passes for a career-high 442 yards and seven touchdowns, second-most of his career.

Many people see the Packers drafting another tight end in the upcoming draft, but more on that in the tight ends edition of Packer Position Profiles.