Green Bay Packers left guard Aaron Banks’ job might be in jeopardy.
On Friday, head coach Matt LaFleur answered a question about whether or not Aaron Banks will keep his left guard job, or if Jager Burton is making it a tough decision. “I think he [Jager Burton] is going to make it extremely difficult. I think Jager has done a really good job, I think not only him but Monk… he [Banks] hasn’t been out there so it’s hard to say.”
Matt LaFleur was then asked whether or not Banks had a procedure done before training camp, to which the head coach replied, “I’ll let him answer that.”
Things don’t seem to be going to well for last year’s offensive line free agent. At the time of his signing, most fans and analysts believed that it was very much of an over pay for Aaron Banks, who has been oft-injured over his career. Last year wasn’t much different. When Banks played hurt, it was bad. Real bad. And when he was healthy, his play was just average at best.
And now, he is missing time in training camp due to more injuries. This is giving other players opportunities to showcase their talents. This can be a good thing considering Jager Burton has looked really good.
Packers Lineman Aaron Banks Isn’t the Only Problem
But Banks isn’t the only spot on offensive line that is at question here. Really, it’s both guard positions. At the beginning of camp, the preferred starters were Jordan Morgan at left tackle, Aaron Banks at left guard, Sean Rhyan at center, Anthony Belton at right guard, and Zack Bako-Bewele at right tackle. This doesn’t seem to be the case anymore.
Anthony Belton may have lost his job. He was practicing at right guard at first, but then later moved to right tackle while Bako-Bewele continues to come back from his injuries. Burton and Jacob Monk have both been working at the two guards spots. LaFleur made it sound in his presser that Monk has impressed during training camp. So, does that mean the preferred starters right now are Morgan, Burton, Rhyan, Monk, and Bako-Bewele? I don’t think so.
The Packers biggest problem isn’t necessarily their play at guard. It’s the depth at the tackles. I don’t know if Belton lost his job more so than the fact that the Packers probably need him as a swing tackle. Darian Kinnard hasn’t looked the greatest in camp, which puts more pressue on the tackle depth. I still believe Belton’s best position is guard but Green Bay might just need him more as depth at tackle. That’s especially true if Burton and Monk have been playing well enough to start.
It’s Not All Bad
Now, with all of the negativity out of the way, there are some positives that we can glean from training camp and the first preseason game thus far. Jordan Morgan has looked really good at left tackle so far. Sean Rhyan hasn’t really been talked about at all as the center, which can only be good news. Zack Bako-Bewele is progressing well in his return from injures. Those are all positives!
And that’s not all: Jager Burton has shown promise as a starting caliber guard and he is just a rookie drafted out of the fifth round! The Packers keep talking very positively about Jacob Monk. And John Williams is showing a ton of promise! There are a lot of things to be positive about with the o-line. It’s just not how we expected the offensive line to go.
It’s in flux. And that’s not always a bad thing in the long term.
But no matter what…
Go Pack Go!
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Damon is a diehard, fully-immersed cheesehead who currently lives in southern Missouri. He teaches at a local high school and has a family YouTube channel about all things Packers. You can follow him on twitter at @packersfamily and on YouTube at The Packers Family.
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