It’s hard not to wonder whether there’s a connection between the Packers’ reported interest in Dolphins defensive end Jason Taylor and the current condition of Green Bay defensive end Kabeer Gbaja-Biamila.

The man known as KGB has missed the entire offseason after undergoing knee surgery.  He says he’ll be ready to go when it’s time for the “real” season preparations.

“I have no doubt that I should be ready for training camp,” Gbaja-Biamila said Wednesday, according to the AP.  “If this was the season, I’d probably be out there trying to get back on the field.  I’d be on the field actually doing some stuff.  But we’re not in any rush.  We’ve got time on our side.”

The knee problem arose as Gbaja-Biamila was conducting exercises aimed at strengthening his ankle, which gave him some trouble during the 2007 season.  He attributes the condition to the wear and tear of eight NFL seasons.

Still, the fact that KGB is starting to break down a bit, coupled with his decline from an every-down defensive end to a situational pass rusher, surely is prompting the powers-that-be to wonder whether it might be time to go in a different direction.  At salaries of $6.15 million for 2008 and $7.3 million for 2009, the Packers could offset the price of Jason Taylor’s contract by dumping KGB at the same time they acquire J.T.