The Green Bay Packers pride themselves on making sure they are always deep on the offensive line. In five of the last six drafts, the Packers have taken at least two offensive linemen. In three of those drafts, Green Bay has selected three O-linemen.
Despite appearing to have plenty of depth in 2024, Elgton Jenkins‘ injury in the playoffs revealed a weakness that caused Green Bay to double down on its efforts to shore up any potential holes along the line.
When Jenkins went down early against the Philadelphia Eagles in the postseason, the Packers turned to Travis Glover. As a sixth-round pick in 2024, it wasn’t an advantageous spot for them to toss Glover into. Still, Green Bay couldn’t have predicted it would go as poorly as it did. Glover was penalized three times almost immediately, and they yanked him for Kadeem Telfort.
Telfort would also pick up a penalty, along with allowing two quarterback pressures and a quarterback hit. When all was said and done, PFF graded Telfort out as the worst Packers player on offense, and Telfort was third in line.
Plenty of things went wrong in that game against the Eagles. However, the stark exposure of Green Bay’s weak offensive line depth clearly stuck out — and must have planted a seed in the minds of the Packers’ brain trust.
Brian Gutekunst said all the right things in the early part of the offseason. Green Bay’s general manager spoke highly of the offensive line that was in place, but the writing was on the wall after the season-ending loss in January.
Historically and with our group right now, we’ve worked really hard to be versatile so that whatever comes – whether it’s injuries or we’re going through this period of time and we have to make some decisions – we have a lot of guys who can play multiple positions. I feel good about our offensive line.
After that, the Packers signed free agent Aaron Banks to come play left guard and drafted North Carolina State offensive tackle Anthony Belton in the second round. On top of that, Green Bay knew Jordan Morgan, a 2024 first-round pick whose season ended in December, would be back in the mix in a major way in 2025.
Glover and Telfort struggled when the Packers put them in a tough spot in the playoff game in Philadelphia, but none of Green Bay’s subsequent moves suggest they are lost causes. Glover was a sixth-round rookie who was asked to slide in at left guard during a playoff game against the eventual World Champions. Telfort was an undrafted free-agent pickup in 2023. Just like Glover, he couldn’t have imagined that burden would be placed on his shoulders suddenly in such a high-pressure setting. Sure, you have to be ready, but there are golden opportunities, and then there are crucibles.
Neither Glover nor Telfort should be written off, but what did become clear that January night was that the Packers weren’t quite as loaded with options on the offensive line as they previously thought.
With training camp around the corner, now the big question is: Who will be left out of the starters group to begin the season?
Realistically, the Packers have seven offensive linemen who could fall in that “starter” category. It’s a list that includes: Elgton Jenkins, Aaron Banks, Zach Tom, Rasheed Walker, Sean Rhyan, Jordan Morgan, and Anthony Belton. After that, they have depth in the form of Jacob Monk and the Glover-Telfort duo. And don’t forget the Packers drafted John Williams out of Cincinnati in the seventh round.
When the Packers drafted Matthew Golden in the first round, fans may have been pleasantly surprised, but nobody was shocked. When they selected Belton in the second round, there was some pause — not because of Belton’s capability as a player, but because he’s an offensive lineman.
Many fans and analysts expected the Packers to go cornerback, defensive end, or even defensive tackle. Instead, they used another premium pick on the offensive line. But, given the frustrating way that playoff loss to the Eagles unfolded, perhaps it shouldn’t have been a surprise. A team that has long prioritized offensive line depth wasn’t going to let that happen again.
