The Green Bay Packers made one thing abundantly clear over the weekend via two moves: It’s banking on continuity being the recipe for success for the offensive line in 2026.
Time will tell if it’s the right decision.
To the surprise of some and maybe even Sean Rhyan himself, the Packers agreed to a three-year deal with the former third-round pick in 2022.
If we take a trip back to last October, Rhyan had seemingly lost his starting right guard gig to Jordan Morgan. After being yanked against the Cincinnati Bengals, Rhyan only played on special teams the following week against the Arizona Cardinals. After that game against Arizona, Rhyan thought the writing was on the wall.
If you just look at what we’ve got on the line, I probably won’t be back here. But I don’t know. I don’t know. But right now, it doesn’t look good.Obviously, it’s a big year for me. It’s a contract year, so I want to put myself in the best position in order to help myself. It’s a team game, but sometimes you’ve got to watch out for yourself, too. So is the future here? I don’t know yet. We’re going one week at a time. Still a Green Bay Packer.
Rhyan got a second life after Elgton Jenkins went down for the season, and they slotted Rhyan in at center. After the initial adjustment period, Rhyan settled into his new spot and also looked better at center than Jenkins did.
As the season carried along, Rhyan looked increasingly comfortable sandwiched in the middle of the offensive line. Now the Packers have rewarded him.
In a separate move to hammer home the point of continuity being the name of the game in 2026 for the offensive line, the Packers are restructuring the contract of left guard Aaron Banks. That’s more than noteworthy because some believed the Packers would cut ties with Banks after one season and swallow the pill of an enormous dead cap hit. Green Bay is sticking by Banks, though, and the restructuring of his contract is a commitment to just that.
Banks dealt with injuries last training camp and missed two games in the first part of the regular season. It was choppy on an individual level upon his return. However, by the end of the season, Banks was playing better ball. Was it everything the Packers had hoped for when they signed Banks last offseason? No, probably not. Still, it was better than what was seen earlier in the season.
By re-signing Rhyan and bringing back Banks, the Packers will likely roll with Jordan Morgan at left tackle, Banks at left guard, Rhyan at center, Anthony Belton at right guard, and Zach Tom at left tackle.
Rasheed Walker was the mainstay at left tackle for the past three seasons. So from that viewpoint, there will be some turnover up front. The continuity comes from bringing back Rhyan and keeping Banks around.
Green Bay could’ve blown this thing up way more and found a new center and new left guard. Given how the offensive line performed for much of the second half of the season, especially in the second half of the playoff loss to Chicago, many would welcome the change. Clearly, the Packers see things differently, and they’ll get another opportunity to test their vision in 2026.
Instead of three new faces on the offensive line next year, if things go according to plan, it will be five familiar faces but one in a new spot. They’ll plug Morgan in at left tackle for Walker, who will depart in free agency. It’s a new spot for Morgan on the Packers, but left tackle was his primary home in college at Arizona.
For those who wanted Banks gone, general manager Brian Gutekunst believes last year was an outlier in terms of the injuries and performance from Banks. He made that clear in February.
Aaron Banks, he really hasn’t missed much time in his career. Some of the things he went through were unexpected. I really thought he played well toward the end of the season once he got healthy.
The Packers still need depth on the offensive line, and they will likely try to address it in the draft. They could add a filler piece or two in free agency, but it’s more likely to happen in the draft, given Green Bay’s infatuation with drafting and developing offensive linemen.
Green Bay could’ve gone many different directions with its vision of the offensive line in 2026. However, they’re opting to go with continuity paying off while crossing their fingers that health isn’t an issue up front. It isn’t a huge risk when you consider the names involved. Still, the unit’s overall performance will have to be much better next season than it was last year.
