Packers Offensive Line Needs to Take a Step Forward in 2024

With Jordan Love at the helm, a deep corps of wide receivers to throw to and three talented running backs to hand the ball off to, the Packers offense is ready to roll.

There is one question mark remaining, and that lies with the offensive line.

The group performed reasonably well a year ago, thanks in large part to a pleasantly surprising high level of play from Rasheed Walker and Zach Tom at tackle. But entering 2024, there is still plenty of room for improvement.

Starting at tackle, it is still to be decided who will protect Love’s blindside, after the selection of Jordan Morgan in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft.

Walker performed better last season than anyone might have expected from a former seventh-round pick, but he was still only around a league average tackle. While there is value in that, the next question is whether he can take another step and become a true plus player.

Despite his draft pedigree, Packers fans shouldn’t necessarily bank on Morgan to be a significant contributor this season, whether that is at tackle or guard.

Green Bay are reluctant to throw rookies into the fire, and Matt LaFleur recently admitted Morgan has “a long way to go” from a mental standpoint.

On the interior, Elgton Jenkins and Josh Myers can likely be penciled in as starters at left guard and center respectively.

Myers’ up and down play has been well documented, and entering a contract year, this is his last chance to find consistency and show the Packers they were right to select him in the second round back in 2021.

With LaFleur married to his “best five” mantra, Myers could be replaced as a starter depending on how training camp plays out.

If Morgan is ready to start sooner than expected, it could free up either Tom or Jenkins to start at center. Rob Demovsky reported earlier this offseason that the Packers believe Tom could be a “Hall of Fame center”.

Jenkins meanwhile has been a good player for Green Bay, but since his ACL injury has not been quite the same. He is being paid to be one of the best guards in the NFL, and he hasn’t performed to that level since 2021. The Packers will be hoping he returns to peak form this year.

Then there is Sean Rhyan, the former third-round pick who finally saw the field for the first time in 2023 after a nightmare rookie year.

Green Bay began working him into the rotation with Jon Runyan Jr., who is now a Giant, and while he showed some promise, specifically in the run game, there is still plenty of work to be done.

Rhyan appears likely to be the week one starter at right guard, and the Packers are taking something of a leap of faith there.

Put it all together and there are questions to be asked all along the line, both in terms of who will be the starters, and how they will perform.

At this point, LaFleur and his coaching staff deserve the benefit of the doubt that they will indeed find a way to get their best five guys out there, and field a unit which is at worst serviceable.

With some improvement from the younger players in the room specifically, there is a world where the offensive line takes a real step forward and becomes a true strength of the team, but as we sit here in July, there are an awful lot of unknowns.