Hall of Famer shares Packers practice tidbit that could truly transform outlook and expectations for the offense in 2026
Joe Thomas visited Green Bay earlier this week and left the building impressed by what left tackle Jordan Morgan can do upfront.
Bad news: The Green Bay Packers don’t have a great alternative for Jordan Morgan. Great news: They might not need one after all. Earlier this week, Hall of Famer Joe Thomas was in Green Bay to visit practice — he even shared a photo with tight end Tucker Kraft.
And he left the building impressed by what the new Packers starting left tackle can do on the field. Sure, it’s still early in the offseason program, but Thomas knows a thing or two about offensive line play.
Morgan is a polished tackle now
Joe Thomas highlighted Morgan’s athletic ability and technique, indicating that the former first-round pick is now much more polished.
“Jordan Morgan, he’s a great athlete,” Thomas told ESPN Milwaukee. “He’s got exceptional footwork. He’s powerful. I was sitting there waiting to give him a bunch of tips about things that I thought he could do a better job of. We watched film that morning, and I said to him, honestly, buddy, there’s a couple little things that I would do differently if it was me, but that’s more specific to just how I played, and it’s not like it’s better or worse than what you’re doing.”
The third overall pick in 2007, Joe Thomas played 11 seasons in the NFL for the Browns. In this period, he was a First-Team All-Pro six times and a Second-Team All-Pro two times, with 10 Pro Bowl selections. He was a part of the NFL 2010s All-Decade Team and is a Pro Football Hall of Famer. He has the record for most consecutive snaps played in the NFL.
Thomas spent the 2024 season as an offensive line coach for the Munich Ravens, from the European League of Football. All that experience is certainly helpful for Morgan, who will finally move to left tackle on a full-time basis.
“We talked about a few things in general, but overall, I really was impressed with how he moved, the fastidiousness with which he approached his craft,” Thomas added. “I thought that everything I saw on the field was just impressive with where he placed his hands. Now, it was on a bag, granted, but I thought that he was just doing a really good job with that footwork, that technique, that hand placement, just the focus that he was playing with, how quick he was moving, getting up to the second level on his combination block.”
Definitive spot
Initially drafted to be a tackle, Jordan Morgan had to play all over the offensive line throughout his first two seasons, but primarily as a guard. Last year, he had more experience at right tackle after Zach Tom got hurt, but only played left tackle snaps in a meaningless Minnesota Vikings game in Week 18. He protected Clayton Tune in that game, not Jordan Love or even Malik Willis.
Now, the Packers allowed Rasheed Walker to leave in free agency. He signed a one-year deal with the Carolina Panthers. And that opened the door for Morgan to establish himself as the starting left tackle — right in the final season ahead of Green Bay making the decision on Morgan’s fifth-year option.