When you’re trying to capitalize on a championship roster in the NFL, having the left tackle spot solidified is near the top of the checklist.
The Green Bay Packers enter this offseason with left tackle in transition. Rasheed Walker will undoubtedly get the bag from some other team in free agency, so it’s about time the Packers see what they have in Jordan Morgan. And they’d be wise to let Morgan focus exclusively on left tackle.
Morgan started 37 games at left tackle in college at Arizona. Green Bay used a first-round pick on him in 2024, and he made starts at four (4!) different positions last year. Yet he played the fewest snaps at his natural position as a left tackle.
Last year, Morgan played 358 snaps at right guard, 191 at left guard, and 148 at right tackle, compared to just 51 snaps at left tackle. Walker held down the left tackle spot for most of the year. While Morgan looked largely miserable at either guard spot, he found a comfortable home at right tackle when Zach Tom was out of the lineup.
General manager Brian Gutekunst has long been obsessed with versatility, especially on the offensive line. He and the Packers expect their O-linemen to be able to wear more than one hat. While that was fine the first two years with Morgan, now that Walker will almost certainly be playing elsewhere, it’s time to let Morgan focus on that one spot.
But, judging from Gutekunst’s comments to the media earlier in February, it didn’t sound like they were heading in that direction.
I do sometimes think if you can keep a guy on a side, left or right, it’s helpful for him a little bit. But [Morgan’s] versatility has helped us, and it was one of the reasons that drew us to him in the draft, and his ability to play all those spots has been a benefit to us, but certainly he’s going to get a lot of opportunity.
Gutekunst went into more detail about having versatility, specifically on the offensive line.
You know how I feel about versatility. We’ve talked a lot about that up here. To me, they need to be able to play multiple spots, and I don’t really care where they think they may be better at. When they’re in there, they need to perform.
If there were ever to be an exception to that rule, it’d be Morgan at the left tackle spot entering next year.
Playing musical chairs at left tackle isn’t typically a recipe for success. There was competition for the starting gig last year, and when Walker won the job, they cemented him in all season. Granted, Walker doesn’t have the versatility that Morgan does, but that isn’t the only reason to have an exclusive left tackle.
The only way Green Bay would pivot Morgan out of the left tackle spot in 2026 is if he struggles mightily or if there’s an injury elsewhere on the line, and the Packers believe the best strategy is to move him elsewhere. How logical is that, though, when it comes to their current depth?
Is there really a scenario where someone at either guard spot or right tackle could go down, and Green Bay believed the best course of action would be to move Morgan away from left tackle? It feels like an enormous stretch.
Green Bay didn’t use a filler pick on Morgan, and this isn’t a position change they’re making at the next level. There’s a golden opportunity to let Morgan shine at a spot most familiar to him, and it’s a position of tremendous significance in a high-functioning offense.
Moving Jordan Morgan around in 2026 would yield more unpredictability than anything else. Letting him be the best version of himself at left tackle could do wonders for him and the Packers as a whole.
