Fresh off a good ol’ fashioned butt-whooping at the hands of the New York Jets, the Green Bay Packers now need to seriously consider major changes along the offensive line, starting with the obvious weak point at right guard.
Royce Newman, who was pulled in favor of Jake Hanson during the first half, can’t be a starter if the Packers are to meaningfully improve up front and as an offense overall, and it seems Matt LaFleur and Adam Stenavich were willing to admit that fact on Sunday.
Newman gave up a sack and five total pressures against the Jets, per PFF. All five pressures came on “true pass sets,” or true dropback snaps not involving a screen or run-pass option. Pulled on the final series of the first half, Newman returned to the game for the second half because Hanson suffered an injury and couldn’t return.
It was a collectively poor performance from the offensive line. Aaron Rodgers was sacked four times and hit nine times total. Along with Newman, right tackle Elgton Jenkins and left guard Jon Runyan also played poorly.
LaFleur, when asked post-game, said “everything is on the table” in terms of offensive line construction moving forward.
Could a change or two hurt? The Packers have options and a week to get the new starting five ready for a huge game on the road in Washington.
A few factors to consider:
– Left tackle David Bakhtiari just played a full game (essentially, he was pulled for the final series).
– Jenkins can play any position along the offensive line and he was a Pro Bowler at guard in 2020.
– The Packers see Yosh Nijman as a starting-level player and now have the opportunity to rep him more at right tackle with Bakhtiari gaining strength and confidence.
– Rookie Zach Tom has been cross-trained at guard and tackle and was impressive as a blocker all summer.
– Hanson injured his biceps against the Jets and could miss significant time.
A few options:
– The Packers could move Nijman to right tackle and Jenkins to right guard.
– The Packers could keep Jenkins at right tackle, move Runyan to right guard and Tom to left guard (where he spent time in camp). Or keep Runyan at left guard and get Tom comfortable at right guard.
– The Packers could move Jenkins to left guard (his Pro Bowl position in 2020) and have Nijman play right tackle while using Runyan at right guard.
LaFleur said the offense won’t get any better until they block better, and he’s right. Sunday’s performance was as disappointing from the Packers offensive line as any in recent memory, especially in the LaFleur era. Green Bay was dominated up front, and nothing else really matters on offense if you consistently lose the line of scrimmage.
Do the Packers stay the course and hope Newman improves? That’s a really risky game. He’s had six games in 2022 to show improvement. He’s a liability. A change, even one with many moving parts, could create the type of improvement the Packers need, both in the short term and long term.
Washington has good players in the defensive front and will have a few extra days rest before next Sunday’s showdown. The Packers either play better along the offensive line in Week 7 or a two-game losing streak could easily stretch to three.
