Packers have impactful choice ahead regarding former first-round pick’s role, and it will define many things in 2025 and beyond
When the Green Bay Packers was on the clock a year ago in the first round of the draft, there were still intriguing offensive line options. Interior offensive lineman Graham Barton was perceived as the best value, but tackle Tyler Guyton was also available. The Packers went with Jordan Morgan because of his versatility. Instead […]
When the Green Bay Packers was on the clock a year ago in the first round of the draft, there were still intriguing offensive line options. Interior offensive lineman Graham Barton was perceived as the best value, but tackle Tyler Guyton was also available. The Packers went with Jordan Morgan because of his versatility. Instead of taking a tackle or a guard, general manager Brian Gutekunst decided to draft someone who could be both.
Morgan was declared by the Packers as a tackle, and he was a college left tackle at Arizona. However, his short arms made him be evaluated by most teams as a guard. During the offseason activities and early training camp, Green Bay moved him around, until establishing him at right guard for the entire rookie season.
An underwhelming rookie season affected by a shoulder injury later, Jordan Morgan is back where it all began, and the question about where he will play could define the Packers' approach at those positions for years to come.
"Getting Jordan Morgan back, now that he's had his shoulder surgery, get him out there on a consistent basis, whether that be at tackle or guard or wherever we decide to play him, it will be really helpful as well," Gutekunst said after the season. "Versatility is everything, and we do have a versatile group. So we're gonna try to get the best five out there."
It's reasonable to say that three of the five positions on the offensive line are set: Aaron Banks will be the left guard, Elgton Jenkins is expected to move to center, and Zach Tom is a solidified right tackle. That leaves left tackle and right guard, once again, as positions for Morgan to fight for a starting role.
"We didn't see him as much at tackle, which is obviously what he played in college, what he was drafted as, just because at the time, going into the season, the opportunities were gonna lie inside," Gutekunst explained. "I think this offseason, just depending on how everything takes place through free agency, the draft, we're probably go in the exact same way, whatever we think he's gonna best fit, that's where he's gonna see snaps."
Short- and long-term impact of the decision
Curiously enough, both competitors are entering the final year of their rookie deals in left tackle Rasheed Walker and right guard Sean Rhyan. Guard is the spot where Morgan would theoretically have an easier time to take it over—and he was moving in that direction last preseason before the injury first happened.
Gutekunst likes to say that the Packers will play the best five, and it would probably be with Walker at left tackle and Jordan Morgan at right guard at this point.
However, there are several implications of this decision down the line. Right now, the Packers are paying big money to two offensive linemen, Banks and Jenkins. Presumably, they will extend Zach Tom as well. It's hard to pay four expensive linemen at the same time, so Morgan getting the left tackle job would allow the Packers to let Walker go elsewhere in free agency—or even to trade him closer to the regular season. Yes, Rhyan would also be a free agent, but it's easier to replace a right guard than a left tackle.
If Morgan doesn't work out as a tackle but gets the starting guard job, the Packers might be forced to extend Walker. And in that scenario, Elgton Jenkins could become the odd man out in 2026.
"We're gonna continue to lean on versatility," Gutekunst added. "We have three or four guys on our line that can probably play five spots. I believe in that, that's an asset we have that not all teams have."
More options will probably arrive via the draft, and answers will become clearer in training camp. It's a big season for Jordan Morgan, and he can be an extremely valuable asset a year from now.
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