Jordan Morgan expected to compete with Rasheed Walker for Packers' LT job
The Packers' offensive line is entering a transition period that could see their former first-round pick come away with the left tackle job.
[Zachary Jacobson](https://247sports.com/user/Zachary Jacobson/)8 hrs
GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Green Bay Packers have big plans for the future of Jordan Morgan, their first-round pick last spring. But those plans may force their current starting left tackle out of the lineup.
At the annual league meetings in West Palm Beach, Florida, general manager Brian Gutekunst and head coach Matt LaFleur both confirmed that Morgan is going to compete with Rasheed Walker this summer for the opportunity to protect Jordan Love's blindside. This isn't exactly an unforeseen development considering Morgan has played all but 12 collegiate snaps as a left tackle at Arizona, so at some point in the early stages of his career, the Packers were going to experiment with him at his natural spot.
That experiment didn't begin last year, however. Morgan's best path to starting was at right guard, so he competed with Sean Rhyan and rotated with him through the first two months of the regular season. It was a tumultuous rookie campaign for Morgan, who missed all of training camp and the preseason with a shoulder injury, as well as three of the Packers' first five games. Just before he was shut down for the remainder of the year on injured reserve, Morgan logged his first career start against the Detroit Lions on Nov. 3 and played 100 percent of the snaps.
(Photo: USA TODAY Sports)
Now cleared and fully healthy, Morgan is going to wind up being the Packers' left tackle—it's just a matter of whether or not that happens this year or the next.
"It's going to be a great competition," LaFleur said, according to The Athletic. "Him and 'Sheed are going to battle it out and hopefully push each other to be that much better.
"It's something we feel he can do. Otherwise, we wouldn't do it, so we'll let them battle it out and see where it goes."
The Packers want Morgan at left tackle, that much is for certain. They also need to keep the future in perspective and begin grooming him for the job as soon as possible. Walker, a former seventh-round pick who has blossomed into a two-year starter, is entering the final year of his rookie deal and is going to be due for a relatively hefty payday. Ditto for Zach Tom, who is almost guaranteed to be re-signed by the Packers in the near future. Double ditto for Rhyan, who started all 18 games last season.
Elgton Jenkins, who just turned 29 years old in December, is also going to be eligible for an extension after the 2026 season. He's moving to center following the departure of Josh Myers in free agency.
With Aaron Banks joining the team as the presumed starting left guard by way of a four-year, $77 million dollar contract, that's five of five starters that the Packers will have to consider tying significant money to. Walker may very well be the odd man out and the Packers will likely transition seamlessly to Morgan in his place on a rookie deal.
There's also the likelihood that the Packers will allow Walker to play out the final year of his contract and just rotate Morgan and Rhyan at right guard as they did a season ago. That isn't exactly the ideal return on such a premium investment like the one the Packers made with Morgan, but there's also not much of a rush. If anything, competition breeds excellence—making Morgan compete with Walker at left tackle or Rhyan at right guard will only make everyone involved better off for it.
There has been some murmurs that Morgan would be the Packers' swing tackle if he loses out to Walker, but that wouldn't make much sense. Swing tackles are required to be capable of playing both left and right tackle, but at the moment, Morgan doesn't have a single career snap at either spot. That isn't to say he can't master both sides at some point down the line, but that simply isn't in the cards right now, nor should it be.
Zachary Jacobson is the Editor-in-Chief of Packer Report. He is entering his 11th season covering theGreen Bay Packers. He is a member of thePro Football Writers of America. Follow him on Twitter@zacobson or contact him via email atitszachariahj@gmail.com
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