Packers Center Sean Rhyan's High-Ankle Sprain is a $33 Million Problem for Green Bay

The Green Bay Packers just lost their starting center for a month, which is exactly the kind of news you want to wake up to after dropping a divisional game on a last-second field goal. Ian Rapoport reported Monday that Sean Rhyan is expected to miss four to six weeks with a high-ankle sprain.

X-rays came back negative, and Rhyan is getting an MRI to confirm the damage. But anyone who has watched football for more than ten minutes knows a high-ankle sprain for a 300-pound lineman is basically a death sentence for their mobility over the next month.

"Ian Rapoport reported that Rhyan is believed to have suffered a high-ankle sprain with a 4-6 week recovery timeline."

Green Bay handed Rhyan a three-year, $33 million contract this offseason to be the anchor of their offensive line. For context, paying a guy $11 million a year to watch games in a walking boot is not the return on investment the front office drew up on the whiteboard.

The injury happened early in the first quarter of Sunday's 20-17 loss to the Detroit Lions. The Packers had to throw Jacob Monk into the fire, and when Monk also got banged up, they were down to John Williams snapping the ball. You never want to be on your third-string center in a game decided by a 22-yard field goal as time expires.

This is just the latest brutal blow for a Green Bay roster that is rapidly turning into a medical ward. They already lost wide receiver Jayden Reed to a neck injury and tackle Zach Bako-Bewele to a torn patellar tendon. At this rate, head coach Matt LaFleur is going to have to start pulling fans out of the Lambeau bleachers to block.

The Packers are now sitting at 4-3 and dead last in a loaded NFC North. If you are holding a Green Bay division futures ticket, it might be time to start looking for the cash-out button. Trying to climb out of the basement with a patchwork offensive line is a massive uphill battle.

Rhyan's MRI will dictate exactly how long he is out, but the Packers have to figure out a permanent solution immediately. Jordan Love already took a beating in the season opener, and if the interior line cannot hold up, Green Bay's playoff hopes are going to collapse right up the middle.