Lynn, I received my co op plants today and soaked them all to remove the plug material and plant them. When I was out there I noticed two more pots that were planted last year and just seemed to have stalled. They weren't dead yet, but unhappy. I pulled them out of their pots and they were rock solid dry. We have gotten so much rain, it never occurred to me they would be too dry. They were not purchased as plugs, but you could certainly see their original 4x4 pot shape. That was the rock solid dry part. Do you routinely remove the dirt around the plants you get before you plant them or just when they are plugs? I don't recall them being over dry or root bound when I originally planted them.

You should remove the potting material they came in. Sometimes it is a good mix and some times not. No sense in taking a chance.
Go ahead and soak them and remove the old potting mix they are encased in, then replant them. They should do fine once you have remedied the poor soil problem. Would be great if you could take a before and after photo for others to see what can happen.
I learned this lesson by experience. : )