If everything were going swimmingly for the Green Bay Packers entering training camp, David Bakhtiari would be at left tackle, and Elgton Jenkins would be at right tackle. The former is still a real possibility, but the latter seems highly unlikely.
With Jenkins probable to start the year on the physically unable to perform list, a gap has emerged at right tackle for the Packers. That battle will be an intriguing element of training camp.
Yosh Nijman seems like the obvious choice to start the season at right tackle if Jenkins is on the sidelines, but it is worth noting that Nijman is a true left tackle. Flipping him to the other side of the line isn’t as easy a decision as it may appear.
It’s naive to think that a player can swiftly switch from left tackle to right based on the assumption that the positions are similar. While Nijman may be the favorite to win the gig coming out of training camp, his experience at left tackle will have very little to do with that. His familiarity with Green Bay’s system and how things operate carry some weight, though.
Someone may pluck the job from Nijman’s grasp in training camp. A couple of fascinating rookies could do so. Green Bay drafted three offensive linemen in 2022. The Packers didn’t use any high picks on them, but a couple could play into the mix at right tackle.
Zach Tom was a fourth-round selection by the Packers this year, and he played tackle and center during his time at Wake Forest. Scouts were smitten by Tom’s athleticism. And while Tom spent most of his time with the Demon Deacons at left tackle, his versatility offers Green Bay another option on the right side.
Even if Tom is on the outside looking in during training camp, he’ll provide a nice challenge to Nijman, who won’t have the luxury of resting on his laurels.
Sean Rhyan is another fascinating option. The Packers used a third-round pick on him in 2022. The UCLA product projects more as a guard in the NFL, but Rhyan started at left tackle all three years he was with the Bruins.
Like Nijman, just because he played left tackle and excelled at it doesn’t mean it will transfer over to the right side of the offensive line. But with versatility being the name of the game and Rhyan being able to play tackle and guard, it’ll be worth a look for the Packers to get him some reps on the right side of the line in training camp.
If those two aren’t enough to shake things up with the competition at right tackle, enter Cole Van Lanen.
The former Wisconsin Badger spent almost all last year on Green Bay’s practice squad after the Packers selected him in the sixth round in 2021. In some team practices earlier this spring, Van Lanen got reps at right tackle while Nijman was over on the left side with Bakhtiari still out.
Van Lanen getting looks at right tackle during OTAs with the starters is, at minimum, a little sneak peek into what the Packers’ coaching staff could be cooking up. Perhaps they were merely experimenting. But even if that’s the case, the idea has occurred to them.
Out of all the options competing for the right tackle spot, Van Lanen is the wild card for a couple of reasons. One, he doesn’t have Nijman’s experience, who appears to be the frontrunner. Secondly, he’s no longer a rookie getting first looks. With a year under his belt, Van Lanen is the not-so-sexy pick who could emerge victorious.
Those are the options. The relative veteran in Nijman, who has three seasons in the league but not a lick of regular-season experience at right tackle. The two rookies in Tom and Rhyan have incredible versatility, but neither starred in college by playing right tackle. Van Lanen could see his situation turn from grinding to make the final roster to vying for a staring spot at right tackle.
Green Bay has questions entering training camp, just like every other team. Many will focus on the wide receiver spot. The battle in the trenches often lacks highlight-reel excitement, but for the Packers, there is a glaring gap at right tackle with Billy Turner leaving in free agency and Jenkins unlikely to be ready in early September. The quest for a right tackle is as important as any other battle the Packers will have in training camp.
