Packers Training Camp Preview: Offensive Line

The Green Bay Packers boast a talented quarterback who is surrounded by promising skill-position players. It will be up to the offensive line to make it go.

Green Bay Packers right tackle Zach Tom blocks Brian Burns. / Bob Donnan-USA TODAY Sports

 

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers might have a great quarterback with Jordan Love. They might have great receivers, tight ends and running backs, too.

Now, is there a great offensive line to power the unit? An experienced group is back, and three draft picks and a former first-round pick have been added to the equation.

Here is a closer look in the fifth of our Packers training camp previews.

Packers Offensive Line Depth Chart

Note: Cited throughout this story is ProFootballFocus.com’s pass-blocking efficiency, a metric that measures sacks, hits and hurries per pass-protecting snap. The rankings are based on players with 400 pass-protecting snaps.

LT Rasheed Walker: A seventh-round pick in 2022 whose rookie season consisted of four snaps on special teams, Walker blew past veteran Yosh Nijman to win the swing tackle role last year. When former All-Pro David Bakhtiari was unable to play past Week 1, Walker was thrust into the starting lineup. He finished 47th out of 80 offensive tackles in PFF’s pass-blocking efficiency and allowed six sacks but pitched a shutout against Micah Parsons and Nick Bosa in the playoffs.

LG Elgton Jenkins: Back home at left guard after playing left tackle in 2021 and opening the season at right tackle in 2022, Jenkins failed to earn back-to-back Pro Bowl honors but he didn’t allow a sack, either. Last season, the Steelers’ Isaac Seumalo was the only guard to play more snaps without allowing a sack. Jenkins finished 11th out of 73 guards in PFF’s pass-blocking efficiency. He is one of the best in the business, which earned him a spot on the All-NFC North team and ESPN’s Top 10 list of interior linemen.

C Josh Myers: A hugely important season awaits Myers as he enters his final season under contract. The former second-round pick showed significant improvement as a run blocker and took ownership of the offensive line as the team transitioned past longtime quarterback Aaron Rodgers. However, he allowed five sacks and finished 20th out of 35 centers in PFF’s pass-blocking efficiency after giving up three sacks and ranking sixth in 2022.

RG Sean Rhyan: The Packers went with an unorthodox timeshare last year between Rhyan, the 2022 third-round pick, and Jon Runyan, the reliable veteran who was headed to free agency. In 183 pass-protecting snaps, Rhyan allowed zero sacks, zero hits and five pressures, according to PFF. Had he played enough snaps, he would have tied for 20th out of 73 guards in pass-blocking efficiency. His run blocking was impressive. More on that later.

RT Zach Tom: In his first season as a full-time right tackle, Tom was superb. He played through an early-season knee injury to finish 17th out of 80 offensive tackles in pass-blocking efficiency. He allowed two sacks and more than held his own against a powerhouse group of pass rushers. To say his recovery from a torn pectoral is critical would be an understatement.

OL Jordan Morgan: The Packers hit the jackpot by keying in on the versatile traits of Jenkins with a second-round pick in 2019 and Tom with a fourth-round pick in 2022. So, with perhaps better pure offensive tackles on the board, they used their first-round pick on Morgan. Every snap of his three-year career at Arizona was spent at left tackle. During the offseason practices, he played every position but center.

T Andre Dillard: Words can’t properly express how poorly Dillard played last year with the Titans. After signing a three-year deal worth $29 million in free agency, he allowed a league-worst 12 sacks even while starting only 10 games. He was 80th out of 80 in PFF’s pass-blocking efficiency and released this offseason. A first-round pick by the Eagles in 2019, he was 68th out of 82 in 2021.

G Royce Newman: Newman started the first 16 games as a rookie in 2021. He started the first six games in 2022, as well. He opened 2023 as the top backup and replaced an injured Jenkins for two early-season games. In all three instances, Newman lost his grip on his role. Playing exactly as many pass-protecting snaps as Rhyan, he allowed one sack and 10 total pressures. The run game was 0.88 yards worse per carry when he was on the field compared to when he was on the sideline.

C/G Jacob Monk: The Packers drafted Monk in the sixth round after he started 58 games in five seasons at Duke. He opened his career at right tackle but his final two seasons were spent as a combo center-guard. In 2023, he played 351 snaps at right guard, 336 at center and 18 at left guard. He allowed one sack and 14 total pressures, according to PFF. As his college coach told Packer Central: “Jacob is everything a coach would ever want … Just truly A-plus-plus.”

T Travis Glover: Glover started 57 games during his final five seasons at Georgia State. A first-team all-Sun Belt Conference selection at left tackle, PFF charged him with four sacks and 12 total pressures in 2023. At 6-foot-6 and 317 pounds with 34 3/4-inch arms, he’s got prototypical size for a developmental prospect. “They could end up hitting on this guy,” the Senior Bowl’s Jim Nagy told Packer Central.

T Caleb Jones: An undrafted free agent in 2022, Jones has stuck around for two years but hasn’t really been a factor as far as pushing to get on the field. In fact, his NFL experience consists of one snap on special teams against Detroit last year. Thus, this could be the last chance for Jones, who the team continues to list at 6-foot-9 and 370 pounds even though he is probably much lighter.

T/G Luke Tenuta: The 6-foot-8 Tenuta, who started at both tackle spots at Virginia Tech, was a sixth-round pick by the Bills in 2022 who the Packers signed off waivers in October 2022. He played in three games late in his rookie season – his only seven offensive snaps coming at the end of a blowout win over the Vikings – but spent last year on injured reserve following a preseason ankle injury. He spent the offseason splitting time at right guard and right tackle.

T/G Kadeem Telfort: Telfort, an undrafted free agent last year, spent most of the offseason bouncing back and forth between right guard and right tackle, as well. At 6-foot-7 1/2 and 322 pounds with 36-inch arms, he’s got ideal size, and he moves much better than his Relative Athletic Score would indicate. He was a first-team all-conference left tackle at UAB.

G Donovan Jennings: Jennings had a predraft visit with the Packers. He went undrafted, but the Packers gave him an usual (for them, anyway) contract, which would signal he’s got a better-than-decent chance of earning a spot on the 53.  Jennings started 43 games at left tackle at South Florida and allowed just two sacks as a senior. At 6-foot-4 1/8 and 323 pounds with 33-inch arms, Jennings spent most of the offseason locked in at left guard.

C/G Lecitus Smith: A sixth-round pick by the Cardinals in 2022, Smith was signed after trying out at the Packers’ postdraft rookie camp. As a rookie, Smith started two games and played 210 snaps, with 202 of those at right guard. PFF charged him with two sacks. The Cardinals released him after spending most of last year’s training camp at center.

Biggest Strength: Zach Tom

Tom is an ascending right tackle and one of the NFL’s most underrated players, regardless of position. Last season, the Cowboys’ Micah Parsons led the NFL with 103 pressures. The Lions’ Aidan Hutchinson was second with 101, followed by the 49ers’ Nick Bosa was 95 and the Raiders’ Maxx Crosby with 94. The Steelers’ T.J. Watt, who led the NFL in sacks, was seventh with 86.

What do those five players have in common? They rushed from the left side of the defense – or against the right side of the offensive line, in general, and the right tackle, in particular – at least 68 percent of the time. Tom faced them all and didn’t give up a sack.

That Tom could be an above-average starter at any of the line’s five positions is invaluable. His comeback from a torn pectoral is critical to the health and welfare of Jordan Love.

Biggest Question: Is Rasheed Walker the Left Tackle?

Most starting left tackles were first-round picks. That’s the importance of the position. Walker was a seventh-round pick and the 249th of 262 selections in 2022.

Walker started 15 games as well as both playoff contests last year. As a whole, he wasn’t great but he hardly was a problem, either. Moreover, with the season on the line, he got better and better. In the final five games – the three must-win games to end the regular season and playoff games against the Cowboys and 49ers – he allowed one sacks (vs. the Bears) and not even a solitary pressure at Dallas.

The Packers used their first-round pick on Morgan, who they believe has left tackle tools. Maybe he does, but Walker isn’t going down without a fight.

“Elite. I feel elite,” he said.

Biggest Battle: Jordan Morgan vs. Everybody (Including Sean Rhyan)

Morgan played left tackle, left guard, right tackle and right guard during the offseason practices. He isn’t going to unseat Jenkins at left guard, but left tackle (vs. Walker), right tackle (if Tom isn’t healthy) and right guard (where Runyan left in free agency) are possibilities.

The most likely scenario is it will be Morgan vs. Rhyan at right guard.

As a first-round pick, the Packers surely want Morgan to play, but Rhyan will be a worthy foe. With the Packers sputtering through their season, they needed to find out what they had in Rhyan. So, they began to give him some of Runyan’s snaps. They obviously liked what they saw. Otherwise, with the team rolling toward a playoff berth, they would have given all the snaps to Runyan.

Not only did Rhyan not give up a sack, but the Packers averaged 5.17 yards per rushing attempt with Rhyan in the game vs. 4.23 with Runyan in the lineup, according to league stats.

“Coming into the league you’re like, ‘Oh, man,’” Rhyan said during OTAs. “All the rookies, even the people who say they don’t, it’s still back there. This is the league now. After last year starting and going out there, it’s just ball. It’s definitely a confidence booster. I’m not going to say that I’m the best O-lineman in the league, but I can still play a little bit. It’s fun.”

Biggest Key: Luke Butkus’ Coaching

Butkus, the nephew of the Bears legend Dick Butkus, has done a fine job. Not to take anything away from the abilities of Tom and Walker, but Butkus deserves some credit for the young tackles’ ability to set a strong edge for Love.

Now, can he do it again?

The Packers gave him a reclamation proclamation project with Dillard, a former first-round pick who wasn’t good enough to be re-signed by the Eagles and wasn’t good enough to see even Year 2 with the Titans. Dillard is athletic and experienced. Can Butkus turn him into at least a quality backup?

The Packers gave him another project with Morgan, the first-round pick. Butkus scoffed at arm-length concerns, but if arm length wasn’t important at offensive tackle, there would be more than four starters with arms shorter than 33 inches.

If Tom isn’t ready to go for Week 1, one of them most likely will be the starting right tackle for Week 1 against Philadelphia. It’ll be up to Butkus to get them ready.

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