Who is the weakest link on the Packers' offensive line
The Green Bay Packers drafted a versatile piece in Jordan Morgan. Elgton Jenkins and Zach Tom can also play multiple positions throughout the offensive line. That combination of factors created an obvious question of where they will play and who, if anybody, will leave the starting lineup. Presumably, the most logical options to lose the […]
The Green Bay Packers drafted a versatile piece in Jordan Morgan. Elgton Jenkins and Zach Tom can also play multiple positions throughout the offensive line. That combination of factors created an obvious question of where they will play and who, if anybody, will leave the starting lineup.
Presumably, the most logical options to lose the starting job are center Josh Myers and right guard Sean Rhyan. Both have had flashes, but failed to achieve consistency.
And to find the so-called best-five, the first step is to determine who the weakest-link is.
Josh Myers
The Packers drafted Josh Myers because of his physical profile. He's big, athletic, and his ability to move at center is particularly important for Matt LaFleur's offensive scheme. Usually, this tree likes shorter, faster centers. At least in theory, Myers could offer that with a bigger size, an ideal combination.
That being said, consistency is a key component for any successful offensive lineman. And Myers has lacked that. Both for pass protection and run block, he makes huge mistakes that put his teammates in awful positions. As you can see below, a missed blocked caused Jordan Love to be pressured and avoided a big play for the Packers.
Overall, Josh Myers played 1,089 offensive snaps and allowed 28 pressures in 2023. It was his worst season in terms of pressures and sacks allowed (5). His efficiency, 97.4%, was also the worst of his career. He allowed a pressure every 23.64 pass blocking snaps — this is not an ideal number, but it's close to what left guard Elgton Jenkins had in 2023.
Sean Rhyan
The big selling point about Rhyan has been his ability to run block. In paper, he would be a huge upgrade over Jon Runyan in that regard. During last year's preseason, he played primarily as a left guard and showed flashes of his power in the run game.
In the regular season, he was never a full-time player. The guard ended up sharing snaps with Jon Runyan, finishing the year with 16.7% of the offensive snaps — it got progressively higher throughout the season, because Runyan was handling an injury. He did show flashes again, even in pass blocking.
Even when the competition got stronger in the playoffs, Sean Rhyan had strong reps against the San Francisco 49ers' defensive front.
However, Rhyan is going into year 3 and he still has concerning issues with footwork and hand placement. Those problems have led to some of his mistakes, allowing quick pressures.
Sean Rhyan had a worse pressure rate than Myers, with a pressure allowed every 20.4 pass blocking snaps. That's why he finished the season with a 52.5 pass blocking grade. The biggest problem is that his run blocking grade was even worse, at 50.2, mostly because (just like Myers), he's had consistency issues.
Evaluation
Based on their on-field performances in 2023, and because Sean Rhyan wasn't good enough to be used in 2022, it's fair to say that Josh Myers is better at this point. With that in mind, the quest to find the best-five would include a competition between Rhyan and rookie first-rounder Jordan Morgan for the right guard job.
However, there are also mitigating factors. Rhyan is two years younger and has had high-end plays, which can indicate a realistic developmental path. Moreover, Myers is entering the last year of his deal, while Rhyan has two more years on his rookie contract, thus offering a clearer path for long-term continuity.
Training camp and preseason will be an important period to make a full evaluation, knowing that Myers has been better, but Rhyan offers an intriguing ceiling.
Jordan Morgan shows at OTAs exactly what the Packers saw to draft him in the first round
Morgan had reps with the ones at left guard
