Green Bay The Green Bay Packers haven't ruled out re-signing Mark Tauscher if the candidates to replace him at right tackle don't pan out.

"We have three young guys we're excited about, but Mark is someone we've talked to," coach Mike McCarthy said. "That's why we go to training camp. I would never rule Mark out. He's a great guy, a class act."

Tauscher, 32, underwent reconstructive knee surgery Jan. 15 after blowing out his left anterior cruciate ligament Dec. 7 against Houston. A source close to the situation said Tauscher's rehabilitation is well ahead of schedule and that he was extremely optimistic about being ready to play by early September.

The Packers have said consistently that they don't expect Tauscher to play until Oct. 1. Patrick McKenzie, the team's physician, operated on Tauscher and has been seeing him on a regular basis.

McCarthy mentioned Allen Barbre, Tony Moll and Breno Giacomini as strong candidates to replace Tauscher, who started 127 of 129 games from 2000-'08, counting playoffs. Rookie T.J. Lang is another possibility.

"Allen has done a great job and got a ton of reps at right tackle," McCarthy said. "Tony Moll really took a step forward. His work at left tackle really, really helped him with the speed of the game and with the athletic rush guys. Then Breno, we hope to get him back full-go once we start camp."

Tauscher, whose contract expired after the season, figures to be among the four or five most attractive veteran tackles on the market once clubs determine his knee is sound.

After surgery, Tauscher did his rehabilitation at the Packers' facility until about late March. Since then, he has been living in Madison and working out at the University of Wisconsin.

Last Saturday, Tauscher was married to Sarah Helgeson in Madison. About 30 of his former teammates at Wisconsin and Green Bay were in attendance, and Packers left tackle Chad Clifton was a groomsman.