As we enter the final week of training camp and preseason for the Green Bay Packers, the starting offensive line picture is coming into focus. With second-year tackle Jordan Morgan getting better by the day, it’s looking like he and Rasheed Walker will battle for the left tackle job until the season starts.
Coming into camp, I was firmly convinced that Walker would be the unquestioned starter while Morgan filled the sixth offensive line role and stepped in where needed. It’s now more apparent that the Packers have two starting-caliber left tackles — and that is undoubtedly a good problem.
Unfortunately for the Packers, though, the bottom of the offensive line depth chart is looking like a major disappointment as camp winds down.
The first seven spots along the offensive line are all but set in stone. Barring any major injuries, no one outside of Morgan, Walker, Aaron Banks, Elgton Jenkins, Sean Rhyan, Zach Tom, or Anthony Belton will have to see the field in any meaningful scenario.
But this is professional football, and things rarely go exactly as planned. NFL teams usually keep nine to 11 players on the 53-man roster throughout a season. Offensive line is a grueling job, and the reality of all seven of those players not missing any time is unlikely. Starting left guard Banks and starting center Jenkins have already missed time in camp with back issues.
That’s why this final week of camp, with the Seattle Seahawks in town for joint practices and the final preseason game, my eyes are focused on the depth along Green Bay’s offensive line.
Backups Jacob Monk, Donovan Jennings, and Kadeem Telfort have been primarily the first three off the bench during preseason action, and all have been exposed. According to Pro Football Focus, Monk and Jennings have allowed a combined sack, two quarterback hits, and nine pressures across their two preseason contests.
To make matters even worse, they have been flagged for a whopping five penalties. Monk and Jennings are the top two interior depth options should injuries flare up at guard or center. Still, allowing nine pressures and being called for five penalties cannot instill confidence in Green Bay’s offensive coaching staff. The thought of either player protecting Jordan Love during the season should petrify Matt LaFleur.
Elsewhere along the line, the Packers lost one of their most promising young offensive linemen to a season-ending shoulder injury a few weeks ago when they placed Travis Glover on IR. Rookie tackle John Williams has yet to make his Packers practice debut and has been on the sidelines all offseason with a back injury.
Williams’ status has been a mystery almost since he was drafted; he missed OTAs and then started camp injured. I had him penciled in as one of the offensive linemen making this roster due to his status as a draft pick and his versatility. Still, it’s looking like a lost rookie season for him.
In Glover and Williams’ absence, Telfort became the top tackle option behind Morgan, Walker, and Tom. While Glover was cross-training at guard, he was a tackle in college and was the first off the bench at guard last season in the Wild Card game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Telfort replaced him and did not fare much better. Still, Glover was having a good camp by all reports and was even getting some first-team reps early. Telfort is a large man, and at 6’6″, he has the size to play guard in the NFL. However, the fact that this is his third year with the Packers and he’s still running primarily with the third-team offense is not a good sign for his development.
None of the other members of the offensive line group competing in camp has been impressive enough to enter the conversation for a 53-man roster spot. Center Trey Hill and center/guard Lecitus Smith have experience in NFL games. However, Hill has been having a really hard time snapping the ball in practice, which is kind of a required part of the job for a center, and the Packers are Smith’s sixth organization since 2022.
Hill has likely finished developing. However, if the Packers really need him, they could bring him back to the practice squad and call him up in a pinch.
Brant Banks, Tyler Cooper, and J.J. Lippe round out the group as undrafted free agents. With a stellar final week of camp and game tape against the Seahawks, one of them could make a push if the Packers were worried about losing them on waivers.
We have seen rookie offensive linemen use a great performance to secure a spot on the roster. In 2022, Walker missed most of camp and the preseason with an injury but returned for the final preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs and played his way onto the roster.
If anything signals an issue, it’s position coach Luke Butkus being vocal about the progress — or lack thereof — in the group. When asked his thoughts on the status of Green Bay’s depth at the position, Butkus said, “It’s not where we want it to be.”
Hopefully, one of these players establishes themselves as capable of making the 53-man roster in the final week of camp. Teams usually keep eight active linemen on game day, so someone after the top seven is going to have to dress on Sundays.
The answer is probably Jacob Monk. He has been the top option off the bench all summer. The real question is who will be behind him to round out the group. In 2024, they broke camp with 10 offensive linemen; in 2023, they went up to 11.
If performance remains status quo, we could see Brian Gutekunst working the waiver wire and dialing the phone for trades after Tuesday’s cutdowns to fill out the group.
