The Green Bay Packers must rectify their offensive line to go on a playoff run in 2026. The 2025 edition was underwhelming, dropping from PFF’s sixth-ranked group in 2024 to 19th this season. It was one of the worst groups in the playoffs.
There’s some room for optimism going into 2026, assuming some leaps forward from young contributors and good blessings of health. Yet concerns remain.
The Packers need a long-term solution at center, and the interior line overall needs an infusion of depth. The options at offensive tackle look more opaque, but there are also questions along the bookends. Where does Green Bay’s tackle depth stand before the new league year?
Green Bay has clear answers at each tackle spot.
Zach Tom signed an extension before the 2025 season and is the cornerstone of the offensive line, emerging as one of the paragons of the position. Tom elevates the entire line while being a premier right tackle. His absence was evident in the games he missed due to injury.
On the left side, Jordan Morgan is well-positioned to start in the wake of Rasheed Walker‘s all-but-certain exit once free agency begins. Morgan hasn’t had much of a public audition there, playing mostly guard or right tackle in 2025. But he looked solid in the preseason and more comfortable at tackle than he did at guard. At the very least, Morgan has earned the chance to lock in and focus on the spot.
It might not seem like a big deal that the Packers know who their starting tackles are at this point in the offseason. Still, it’s more than a lot of other teams can say.
However, Green Bay has loftier ambitions than being slightly better than average in the NFL. The last few Super Bowls have reinforced the adage that football games are won in the trenches, and the Packers need to squeeze every drop of ability from theirs. They’ve adequately filled both starting tackle spots, but the depth could be stronger.
The easy first point of contention is that Morgan is unproven at left tackle. While it stands to reason he’s the best option, the Packers haven’t named a starter or even given him the chance to focus exclusively on the spot. Brian Gutekunst believed Morgan had probably done enough in the preseason to earn the spot, but injuries forced the team to build the roster another way. Still, he hinted at his end-of-season presser that he would develop Morgan’s versatility rather than focus solely on left tackle.
“I do sometimes think if you can keep a guy on a side, left or right, it’s helpful for him a little bit,” Gutekunst said. “But [Morgan’s] versatility has helped us, and it was one of the reasons that drew us to him in the draft, and his ability to play all those spots has been a benefit to us, but certainly he’s going to get a lot of opportunity.”
If Morgan hits the ground running and looks like starting left tackle material, salute. That’s the hope. But if Morgan doesn’t live up to expectations, there isn’t a clear alternative to feel good about.
Brian Gutekunst's insistence Jordan Morgan will continue to crosstrain at guard should be genuinely worrying.
Rasheed Walker wasn't cross-training. He was the LT.
If you're not sure he's an OT and think he still might be better at guard (where he was BAD last year), yikes.
— Peter Bukowski (@Peter_Bukowski) February 10, 2026
On the right side, it’s hard to say enough good things about Tom. But he’s coming off an injury and missed five regular-season games and the Wild Card round — and played just one snap against the Cleveland Browns. Gutekunst doesn’t expect Tom’s knee injury to affect his 2026 season, though he’s likely to miss some time during the offseason. In the best case, Tom comes back, builds on a successful young career, and stays healthy. However, the whims of fate make fools of us all.
Beyond Morgan and Tom, there isn’t much proven depth.
Under Gutekunst, the Packers have preferred to keep an experienced backup tackle à la Jared Veldheer, Dennis Kelly, and Andre Dillard. That was Darian Kinnard last year. He brought experience to the group, especially with so many injuries on the line, and saw extra time as a sixth offensive lineman on a few snaps. Without Tucker Kraft and John FitzPatrick, the team’s two best blocking tight ends, that extra tackle was crucial for big sets.
Kinnard also had postseason experience with the Philadelphia Eagles, which is valuable to his young teammates. He will be a restricted free agent for 2026, but Green Bay could probably sign him on another modest deal. If they choose not to, they’ll almost certainly look for a similar option in free agency.
Anthony Belton played tackle early in his rookie season but looked much more comfortable at guard, a reversal of Morgan’s situation. In a pinch, Belton could play tackle, and he’ll likely continue cross-training. Still, the Packers would best serve him by allowing him to focus on guard.
No one else saw significant snaps in 2025 as a primary tackle. Ideally, a young player like Donovan Jennings, Travis Glover, or John Williams (a collegiate tackle but listed as guard on Green Bay’s official roster) can emerge the way Yosh Nijman and Rasheed Walker did. The Packers have a great history of turning Day 3 or UDFA players into starters, but they can’t count on that.
If not Kinnard, the Packers will need to find an experienced free-agent tackle as the preferred starter for both spots. Even if Tom and Morgan play well and don’t miss time, it’s a good insurance policy, and offensive linemen take a lot of physical damage.
It also wouldn’t be surprising to see the Packers draft a tackle in April. It’s not their biggest need — cornerback, defensive line, and interior offensive line are bigger immediate concerns. Still, Green Bay always prepares for the future. If Morgan doesn’t work out, the Packers will want a successor on the roster before it’s too late.
Tackle is the spot on Green Bay’s offensive line with the most to like, but the entire line needs elevation. Morgan brings a lot to be excited about in his preferred position, and Tom is a young star. But it never hurts to think about the future, and fostering depth is always a good investment.