If any Green Bay Packers player helped their stock in the preseason, it was 2024 first-round pick Jordan Morgan. Still, it might not be enough to elevate Morgan into the starting lineup just yet. The Packers may have a rotation at left tackle, even into the regular season. If they give the nod to the incumbent Rasheed Walker, that leaves Morgan as the team’s OL6.
While you’d prefer to see your former first-rounder cleanly earn the starting spot, that’s probably a good thing for Green Bay’s roster overall. With multiple players dealing with injuries and the depth of the interior line exposed, having Morgan available to play four of the five spots is a great option.
As a rookie, Morgan mostly competed for the right guard spot with Sean Rhyan, but his season was cut short thanks to injury.
Morgan saw plenty of time at guard again in training camp. Still, with left tackle Rasheed Walker facing injuries, Morgan got an extended look at left tackle, his collegiate (and preferred) position.
Mixed in with the initial ugliness of the team’s first two preseason matchups was Morgan making the most of every snap and looking like he belonged as a starting left tackle in the NFL. He was one of PFF’s highest-graded Packers players of the preseason, with a 75.6 grade, and gave up just one pressure in 47 pass-blocking snaps.
Morgan looked particularly good at pass protection and showed an ability to fight back if he lost the initial tilt. He still needs polishing with his hands and in run blocking, but those can improve with time.
There are doubts about whether Morgan could be a tackle or forced to convert solely to guard, but he said he felt good about his preseason and how it established him as a credible starting tackle.
“I pretty much had to prove to myself and to them that I was a real tackle, a real-deal tackle. I proved that, and they know that,” Morgan said after the final preseason game against the Seattle Seahawks, where he played 17 snaps at left guard.
Morgan looked at home at tackle, and the Packers would be fine heading into Week 1 with him protecting Jordan Love‘s blind side. His ceiling is probably higher than Walker’s, but the Packers might lean on the latter’s experience.
The major difference between the two is that Walker is a tackle only, while Morgan can play guard. That experience on the interior, combined with Green Bay’s current injuries, could lead the Packers to keep Morgan in reserve.
Left guard Aaron Banks and center Elgton Jenkins are dealing with back injuries, which kept the former out of action for much of the past few weeks. The depth along the interior is already shallow, and there is a good chance that Jacob Monk, likely the top backup option despite his struggles, could start the season on IR.
The Packers traded for offensive tackle Darian Kinnard, adding more experienced depth to the line but not helping the interior. Second-round pick Anthony Belton‘s best spot might be at guard, but he doesn’t have the experience.
Trading for Kinnard suggests that Morgan could play a lot of guard this season, even if he’s not starting the season there.
This tells me that with Banks and Jenkins and their ongoing back issues, they expect Morgan to be playing a lot of guard this year so they needed another OT and one more experienced than Belton. https://t.co/ynDTIjw2hM
— Jersey Al – GBP (@JerseyAlGBP) August 25, 2025
Morgan already saw time at left guard in relief of Banks and spent both his rookie season and this offseason at right guard. He has plenty of experience on both sides. If Banks or Rhyan misses any time, Morgan can take over. If Jenkins is injured, Rhyan moves to center, and Morgan takes over on the right side. He can play at either tackle spot. That gives the Packers solid options if any of their starting five go down.
Continuity is vital on the offensive line, so the fewer line changes, the better. If Morgan is the starting left tackle, if there is an injury at guard, he’ll have to move, because Walker hasn’t been coached to play guard. It doesn’t sound like much, but having two players who need to adapt compared to only one could lead to small mistakes that stifle momentum.
Most teams don’t have two serviceable starting tackles, so the Packers having at least three is a good problem.
But Morgan’s ability to play guard might mean he’s a victim of his own success. The ability to positively affect the starting lineup might force the Packers to keep Walker as the starting left tackle. At the same time, Morgan plays whatever spot he needs to as injuries inevitably pile up. It’s likely not the preferred option for Morgan, who wants to secure his starting spot. But for the Packers, having a starting-caliber lineman available as needed for four spots isn’t a bad problem.
He's a victim of his own competency in that way.
Let's say Banks is hurt to start the season when they'd have had a platoon at LT. And Morgan plays 2 or 3 games at LG.
When Banks is back is Morgan going to start a platoon? Compete with Rhyan? It's so tough
— Peter Bukowski (@Peter_Bukowski) August 25, 2025