Change is coming. Four-year starter Josh Myers is now a New York Jet. Elgton Jenkins is going to be learning a new position. The 2024 first-round pick is now healthy. Three incumbent starters are entering the final year of their contracts. A new, big free-agent signing is now in town. No matter how it’s looked at, the Green Bay Packers offensive line in 2025 will look different. How different? That remains to be seen.
Three spots along the offensive line have already been decided (barring any injuries). According to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel, Elgton Jenkins will be the Packers’ starting center, and newly signed Aaron Banks will be the starting left guard. Zach Tom will also be the starting right tackle. That much is known. That leaves two “open” spots for three capable players to compete for.
The leading competitors to fill the final two starting spots on the Packers’ offensive line are fourth-year tackle Rasheed Walker, fourth-year guard Sean Rhyan, and second-year tackle/guard Jordan Morgan. Walker and Rhyan were the primary starters last season and head into contract years. Morgan, the former first-round pick, missed most of last season due to injury. The Packers will head into the 2025 training camp with an interesting decision: run it back or spice things up.
Option 1 – Run It Back With Walker and Rhyan
The Packers could keep things simple – Rasheed Walker stays as the starting left tackle and Sean Rhyan stays as the starting right guard. Both guys have experience starting at the positions before They have the most experience with what Matt LaFleur and the offense want to do. Knowing Elgton Jenkins will be moving to a new position and newcomer Aaron Banks will be sliding in, the Packers may opt to keep some cohesion at the other three offensive line spots to minimize the amount of change.
Both Walker and Rhyan were average last season – not great, not bad. They were solid NFL starters and there’s no harm in keeping these two as starters. There’s an excellent chance both players still have their best football ahead of them. Additionally, that would allow the versatile Jordan Morgan, who has experience at both tackle and guard, to back up multiple positions in case of injury. While that would be valuable for the team, the Packers likely didn’t draft Morgan with a high pick to be a versatile backup.
Option 2 – Mix Things Up and Start Morgan and Rhyan
Anytime a team uses a first-round pick on a player, there is an expectation that the player should become an impact player. It doesn’t always work out that way, but teams usually aren’t using significant draft capital on a premium position for that player to become a backup. In order for an offensive lineman to have an impact, they need to play. The Packers have gone on the record saying they see Morgan as a tackle in the long term. Why wait? There’s a great chance Morgan is given every opportunity to win that starting job at left tackle and Rhyan will be expected to hold down the right guard position.
While Rasheed Walker has become a solid left tackle, the Packers may want an elite left tackle. Morgan may have a higher ceiling than Walker does. Unfortunately, Walker doesn’t have much value as a backup. He’s primarily a left tackle so expecting him to back up both tackle positions may be a stretch. Also, Walker can’t slide in and back up any of the interior positions. There’s been a lot of talk as to Walker’s future with the team looks like. That chatter aside, if Walker is kept and relegated to being a backup, he may only be able to back up one position.
Option 3 – Look For a Better Option Than Rhyan
The Packers want Jordan Morgan on the field in some capacity. That might be at left tackle, but not necessarily. The other strong option to get him on the field would be as a guard. At the beginning of last season, the Packers alternated Morgan and Rhyan at right guard. Walker manned the left tackle position while Morgan and Rhyan shared time at right guard. With a full offseason under his belt, Morgan may be better prepared to take over that right guard spot full-time.
Sean Rhyan has improved over his time with the Packers, but he’s probably not going to be selected as an All-Pro or Pro Bowler anytime soon. Per PFF, his performance last season was average. While that’s not a negative, the Packers should explore finding a better option at right guard. It’s not out of the realm of the possibility that Jordan Morgan could end up being a better option at right guard. That would leave Rhyan as the primary backup at left guard, center, and right guard, which would be an excellent situation for the Packers to be in.
Option 4 – Find a Combination to Rotate
In the past, the Packers haven’t been afraid to get creative with their offensive line configurations. There have been multiple instances in previous seasons where they “start” six offensive linemen and have guys alternate series at specific positions. It’s been done, but it’s not conventional and has it’s flaws. The Packers may have Walker, Morgan, and Rhyan all competing for the two open spots and then decide all three are worthy of playing time. One “rotation” could be Walker and Morgan alternating series at left tackle. The other option would be Morgan and Rhyan alternating series at right guard. While that might lead to guys being fresher and less worn down, there are reasons more teams don’t pursue this strategy.
For one, there would be a lack of continuity if the Packers opt to rotate at either position. With Jenkins and Banks already switching positions, the Packers should be looking for the best five as soon as possible to start developing that chemistry and cohesion amongst one another. For example, if Morgan and Walker are constantly alternating at left tackle, the growth as a cohesive offensive line unit will be stunted. There’s a change that a rotation at either left tackle or right guard is seamless, but it’s probably not worth the potential ill effects.
Find the Best Five and Roll With It
The only constant in the NFL is change. Every year presents change and the Packers roster, including their offensive line, is going to change. How they choose to configure their offensive line will play a large factor in the team’s success in 2025. Most would likely agree – find your best five offensive linemen. It’s unknown who those five are, but having six capable starters is a champagne problem. Many NFL teams don’t even have five competent options for their offensive line. With any sport, injuries are going to occur so the more offensive linemen they have, the better.
Competition is a good thing. It often brings out the best in everyone. The Packers should foster as much competition as possible to find the best combination of five. That said, they need to find the best five by the end of training camp – not in November. In order to make the offense as cohesive and effective as possible, they need to find the five guys that offer the highest ceiling. Do they roll with what they already know in Walker and Rhyan? Or should they bet on potential and get Morgan into the starting lineup? Time will tell, but this decision will go a long ways in determining the Packers offensive success.
