Versatility is often the name of the game in Green Bay. If you’re a prospect and you can wear multiple hats, you’re likely on the Packers’ radar.
That’s especially true with how the Packers go about drafting offensive linemen.
Green Bay has three offensive linemen from the 2022 class entering the final year of their rookie deals. Therefore, the Packers could be more inclined than you think to work out an extension with Sean Rhyan.
When the Packers drafted Jordan Morgan in the first round in 2024, it immediately set the long-term plans for the Arizona product into motion. Before injuries ended his first year as a pro, Morgan was shuffling in at right guard to spell Rhyan early in the season.
It wasn’t because Rhyan was struggling. Instead, it spoke to Green Bay’s desire to find a way to get their rookie first-round pick on the field.
When Green Bay selected Anthony Belton in the second round this April, it set off alarms about Rhyan and Rasheed Walker‘s future. Nobody selects offensive linemen in the first and second rounds with the idea that they will be depth pieces.
The writing appears to be on the wall. The Packers could let Rhyan play out this year and walk in free agency, then plug in Morgan and Belton either this year or in 2026.
Rhyan has a card up his sleeve, though. He started 31 games at left tackle in three years at UCLA.
Rhyan has primarily slotted in at right guard with the Packers but can also play center. In the first couple of sessions of organized team activities (OTAs), with center Elgton Jenkins sitting out while awaiting clarification on a potential new deal, Rhyan slid over to center and shared the role with Jacob Monk.
Green Bay had Rhyan work with the No. 1 offense at right guard and center during OTAs, and with no imminent end in sight for Jenkins and his contract negotiations, Rhyan should get even more reps at center.
Of course, Green Bay would like to find common ground and a resolution with Jenkins. However, with Rhyan’s ability to shuffle around and hold his own, why not entertain extension talks?
Belton is the newest attraction, selected in the second round in April. Morgan, a first-rounder in 2024 who saw limited time, serves a similar function.
Rhyan is entering his fourth year and is the same age as Belton, who is just a rookie. That bodes well for Rhyan sticking around Green Bay. His ability to play tackle, guard, and center hammers it home.
Green Bay has a lot to sort out regarding players entering the final year of their deals. Notable players like Romeo Doubs, Kingsley Enagbare, Zach Tom, Quay Walker, Rasheed Walker, and Christian Watson are also in the final year of their rookie contracts. That’s a lot of production the Packers have to sift through to figure out who they will prioritize when it comes to hashing out extensions.
Tom seemed like the foregone conclusion to be the top priority of the group. However, after the Packers announced there would be competition for Tom to keep his right tackle gig, that seems less certain, although it’s hard to imagine the Packers letting Tom hit free agency next year.
The selections of Morgan and Belton — and where they were taken in the draft — shows the Packers are comfortable giving both every opportunity to win a starting spot in the next two years, while also accepting that this could be the final year in Green Bay for Rhyan and Walker.
For a team that preaches the importance of versatility, how does Rhyan not get more love?
Jenkins will be 30 in December, has two years left on his deal, and has already received all the guaranteed money. He has been phenomenal for the Packers, and general manager Brian Gutekunst even said this offseason that Jenkins has All-Pro potential at center. But given that the Packers are historically opposed to signing new contracts for players 30 and older, Jenkins’ future with the team is not guaranteed.
So why not work out something with Rhyan?
Rhyan would provide stability and the ability to move around the offensive line. Monk hasn’t shown whether he can make a significant impact. Therefore, getting an extension done with Rhyan makes sense despite a crowded offensive line room, given the past couple of drafts and what the Packers shoveled over to Aaron Banks in free agency.
Green Bay let Josh Myers go in free agency this year. Myers was a center who only played center, and the Packers executed a plan that they hoped would see Jenkins slide over to center with Banks slotting in at left guard.
Rhyan isn’t a right guard who only plays right guard. He’s a Swiss Army knife who played exclusively at left tackle in college and has played mostly at right guard for the Packers, with the ability to slide into center. That should be music to Green Bay’s ears.
What the Packers have done in the draft the last two years has sent a message that they want Morgan and Belton as long-term answers up front. That has left Rhyan and Walker in purgatory entering this year.
Don’t write off Rhyan’s departure as a foregone conclusion, though. His versatility matters, and it could make Green Bay more inclined to work out an extension with him.