As is often the case with the Green Bay Packers this time of the year as they search for their best five offensive linemen, there will be playing time determined this summer. But along with figuring out who the starters are, there may also be a training camp battle on the back end for the final roster spot.
Last year, the Packers kept 10 offensive linemen on their initial 53-man roster and, at one point throughout the season, they even had 11 on their roster. During the first three seasons under Matt LaFleur, Green Bay rostered only nine offensive linemen on the initial 53-man. Given the established depth they have, along with the group of developmental players, my guess is that the Packers again go heavy and keep 10 offensive linemen this season.
The concrete locks at this point are David Bakhtiari, Elgton Jenkins, Josh Myers, Jon Runyan, Yosh Nijman, and Zach Tom. That is already six players. The remaining players fighting for those last four spots, in this instance, include Royce Newman, Jake Hanson, DJ Scaife, Caleb Jones, Rasheed Walker, Luke Tenuta, and Sean Rhyan.
Newman may not quite be a lock, but I expect him to be on this team. He has starting experience and, although he is best at guard, could play tackle if the Packers were in a pinch–all of which is valuable to have off the bench. With Newman included, that’s now seven offensive linemen on the roster.
To me, the question comes down to do the Packers again keep the three developmental tackles in Jones, Walker, and Tenuta, or just two of them, and then have either Hanson or Rhyan round out the roster.
If the Packers’ intention is to keep the three tackles, then that’s 10 players, and I believe the roster would be set at that point. Although with the starters included, that’s six tackles on the roster, this approach would make sense given the uncertainty at the position in 2024. At that point, Nijman is an unrestricted free agent and could be playing elsewhere. Bakhtiari, meanwhile, could be released next offseason, with the Packers saving over $21 million in cap space by doing so. That may also be what he prefers, depending on how close Bakhtiari feels this Packers team is to competing at a high level.
Without Nijman or Bakhtiari, the tackle position goes from a strength to a big question mark. The good news is that the offensive tackle class in next year’s draft is supposed to be very strong. Also, the Packers are taking a similar developmental approach with Jones, Tenuta, and Walker as they did with Nijman. As a former undrafted rookie, it wasn’t until his third NFL season in 2021 that Nijman saw significant snaps. The 2024 season would be the third year for Jones, Tenuta, and Walker.
Whether or not this is how things actually play out next year remains to be seen, but the uncertainty will potentially impact how the Packers construct this year’s roster in preparation.
Now, on the flip side, if the Packers only want to keep two of those tackles, based on what I saw during the open practices during offseason programs, Walker and Jones are ahead of Tenuta on the depth chart currently. Both saw regular snaps with the second-team offense, while Jones had some starting snaps at left tackle when Bakhtiari was sitting out. Tenuta was the clear third option.
So to put a bow on all of this, I believe that 10th spot will come down to either Tenuta or Rhyan. Hanson is still sidelined as he recovers from an injury, and I would guess if the Packers had to choose between him and Ryhan, they would roster the second-year player with more upside, who was also a former third-round pick. Whereas with Hanson, although the coaching staff really likes him, Green Bay likely has a good idea of who he is as a player at this point.
In the case of Rhyan or Tenuta, do the Packers want more interior depth or to continue developing another potential option at tackle for the future? Are they willing to give Rhyan another chance, given his draft pedigree? Along with being suspended for PEDs as a rookie, Rhyan was regularly a healthy scratch on Sundays, which on its own wasn’t a good sign. We’ve also seen in recent years with Jace Sternberger and Amari Rodgers that the Packers don’t have any issues moving on from third-round picks early.
If my assumption that Green Bay keeps 10 offensive linemen is wrong, and they keep just nine, then both Rhyan and Tenuta could be on the outside looking in. If they want to keep 11 again, then both could very well be on the team.
As far as the training camp battle for playing time goes, the big one is at right tackle between Tom and Nijman. Based on what we saw last season, Tom handled the position change to the right side better than Nijman, although Nijman was dealing with injuries as well. During OTAs and minicamp, both were often alternating days as the starting right tackle, while the other then worked with the second-team offense. Given what I saw during these open practices, with the caveat being that the pads weren’t on and it was a small sample size, right now, I’d give the edge to Tom.
Offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich mentioned that we could see Tom also playing at right guard and center this summer, which we did, but not with the starters. When Nijman was starting at right tackle, Tom was at right guard with the second-team offense. He didn’t see snaps at center with the second and third-team offenses until the last two-minute drill of the final minicamp practice. If Tom ends up as the starting right tackle, then we know for sure that Myers and Runyan will be at center and right guard. However, based on the starting offensive line configurations this offseason, while the Packers are always looking for competition, those center and right guard jobs firmly lie with Myers and Runyan at the moment. We also know that when constructing the offensive line, at least early on in the season, Matt LaFleur has preferred experience, which both players have.
If Jordan Love and the Packers’ young skill position groups are going to find success this season, it begins with the offensive line play. Love, of course, can’t be under constant pressure when throwing the ball, but it’s also critical that the Packers have a strong run game to lean on. If not, it’s going to put Love and this offense in predictable passing situations on a regular basis, and that is not a recipe for success for a young offense.
