We always suspected the Green Bay Packers’ offense might struggle early on. A first-time starting quarterback throwing to inexperienced guys was always going to lead to moments of frustration.
What we didn’t expect was the running game and the offensive line, both purportedly strengths of this unit, to be a significant part of the problem. A strong rushing attack and a stout wall of protection are a boon for a young quarterback, but Green Bay’s perceived strength turned out to be a mirage.
Losing David Bakhtiari for the year certainly hurts, but there was always a chance he would miss games. Aaron Jones‘ injury exposed a ton of flaws in this offense. Still, even he has to bust a move with the offensive line’s run-blocking being so poor.
Peak Barry Sanders would struggle to run behind this offensive line. Reevaluating the O-line should have been one of the team’s biggest priorities in the bye week, but they’ve touted the same struggling group. It’s hard to believe this combination is Green Bay’s best five. So that begs an important question — what’s up with Yosh Nijman, who could surely upgrade this struggling line?
It always seemed like a foregone conclusion that Zach Tom, the team’s athletically gifted breakout star of 2022, would win the starting right tackle job over Nijman. While the former UDFA could have been an enticing trade option, Green Bay chose to keep Nijman as a backup tackle. Thanks to Nijman’s second-round tender, he’s costing this cash-strapped team around $4 million in 2023.
So when the Packers revealed that Bakhtiari would miss the rest of the 2023 season, surely Nijman would take over at left tackle? He’s done it before, and mostly did well there.
But it was second-year backup Rasheed Walker who got the start. The former seventh-rounder started turning heads in the preseason, where he eventually looked like a potential starter. At this time, it seemed like Walker was getting opportunities in exhibition games to give him valuable snaps and because the team knew what they had in Nijman.
However, Walker got the starting LT job and hasn’t looked back. Nijman’s only look was at right tackle against the Denver Broncos, when Tom moved to center to replace an injured Josh Myers for a few snaps.
Against Denver, Walker looked promising early on, and it’s always neat to see a former Day 3 pick look like a legit starter. But Walker has had a rough go after the first three weeks of the season, becoming a liability at pass protection and in run blocking.
Walker gave up three pressures, tied with Jon Runyan Jr. for a team-high, and had two penalties. His PFF score in that game was the second-lowest on the offensive (47.5). He was also Andy Herman’s lowest-graded offensive player, with a -1.35. The eye test has been no matter, which you can see below.
No one on the offensive line is run-blocking well, even the team’s remaining star player, Elgton Jenkins. But you can argue that left tackle is the easiest problem to deal with — play Nijman, who has done well there in the past.
It’s an evaluation season, so it makes sense to want to see what the Packers have in their promising young player. It’s one reason I’ve advocated playing Sean Rhyan over more experienced interior linemen. But Walker is a full-on liability right now. It’s hard to evaluate anything else on offense when Jordan Love is fighting for his life on every play and the run game can’t get going.
Still, it doesn’t seem like the coaching staff is even considering a swap. The team spent a significant amount of money to keep Nijman on the team and hasn’t made a move to trade him. Why can’t the former starter get on the field? The Packers have generally preferred to play a veteran over a young player on the offensive line, even when they should be playing the younger player.
It’s possible Nijman regressed since last season and only those behind closed doors have seen it. Or it’s possible there’s an interpersonal issue keeping Nijman off of the field. It wouldn’t be the first time a player couldn’t make the field even in a position of need for mysterious reasons.
When a reporter asked offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich about Nijman in early September, his answer was brief.
“Right now, he’s a backup tackle for us,” Stenavich said. “That’s where he’s at and football is a very competitive sport and some guys rise to that competition and some guys don’t, so that’s basically what I have to say about that.”
Whatever the reason for his absence, the Packers must consider making the swap. Even in a year of evaluation, Nijman would make Jordan Love’s life much easier. The team needs to make some sort of change to dig themselves out of this hole of mediocrity. Making a swap at left tackle is a tangible way to improve the offense. We don’t know why Nijman isn’t in the coaching staff’s good graces, but the team needs to bury the hatchet or trade him for 2024 capital.
