Green Bay Packers center Elgton Jenkins suffered an apparent lower leg injury against the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday Night Football, and it didn’t take long after the game for the team to receive bad news from his MRI results.
According to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky, X-rays revealed that Jenkins has a fracture. It’s a better outcome than torn ligaments, because it allows him to potentially return later this season.
The Packers have battled injuries along the offensive line all season, with Aaron Banks and Zach Tom missing time. They’ve also occasionally rotated Jordan Morgan and Sean Rhyan at right guard. With Jenkins now placed on injured reserve, Green Bay will have to find a new starting center for at least the next four games.
We have placed Elgton Jenkins on IR
— Green Bay Packers (@packers) November 11, 2025
Here’s where Sean Rhyan steps in. It’s now or never for him to establish himself on the offensive line and make a case for a second contract with the team.
After Jenkins went down with the injury, Rhyan took over at center — and the offense played better with him there. The Packers believed Jenkins could develop into an All-Pro center when they moved him inside, but he was average at best there. His best position has always been guard, and that’s where he should have stayed in the first place.
According to PFF Sean Rhyan outplayed Elgton Jenkins at center and Aaron Banks is a real problem pic.twitter.com/3ikEhK2WYw
— Packerfan Total Access- Clayton (@packers_access) November 11, 2025
“Sean brings great energy,” Jordan Love said after the game. “Obviously, he’s a guy who’s played a lot of ball, so it’s tough losing Elgton, and we’ll see what the status is on him. But I think Sean did a great job coming in. He’s a guy who stays ready for whatever opportunity it is, whether it’s guard, center, whatever. He did a good job tonight.”
By moving Rhyan to center, Green Bay also allows Morgan to settle in at right guard. As I mentioned before, the two had been rotating at the position, but the Packers should have let them each settle into one spot — even if that meant either Morgan or Rhyan serving as a full-time backup. That said, it’s better to have one of them established and adapting quickly than to have both rotating and neither truly settling in as a starter.
Rhyan didn’t play center in college and had played only nine NFL snaps at the position before Monday night, when he logged 41. It’s going to be a transition for him, but he showed he can be a viable starting-caliber option against a strong Philadelphia front. If he can prove to be a long-term starter, it would also simplify Green Bay’s decisions regarding the rest of their offensive line.
The Packers don’t have a first-round pick for the next two years. Moreover, multiple of their starters will become unrestricted free agents next offseason. With only about $10 million in projected cap space for 2026, Green Bay will have to make some tough roster decisions.
Elgton Jenkins could become a cap casualty if Rhyan becomes a reliable center. The Packers would free up roughly $20 million in cap space by trading or releasing Jenkins next year — valuable flexibility for a roster that could have several roles to address.
Sean Rhyan should have a strong sense of urgency to deliver results. He’s in a contract year, and this is a golden opportunity to step up at arguably the most important position on the offensive line. If he plays well, Green Bay will have another decision to make in the offseason — but it would be the good kind of problem to have.