With organized team activities set to begin on Tuesday, one of the big battles over the next few months for the Green Bay Packers will be at left tackle, with last year’s first-round pick, Jordan Morgan, ready to battle incumbent starter Rasheed Walker.
Last week, offensive line coach Luke Butkus was asked whether Walker was the team’s starting left tackle.
“Rasheed Walker is a left tackle for the Green Bay Packers,” Butkus responded.
“A” left tackle. Not “the” left tackle.
“In this room,” Butkus said, “it’s always about competition. You know that. That stems from our head coach, from our offensive coordinator, and Rasheed will tell you that he’s working to win that job. Just like everyone else.”
After former All-Pro David Bakhtiari was unable to play again after the 2023 opener, Walker has started 32 of a possible 33 games, plus all three postseason games. Has he been dominant? No. Has he been a problem? Definitely not. Has he gotten better? Yes.
According to Sports Info Solutions, Walker allowed seven sacks in 2023 but only two in 2024. As a run blocker, his blown-block rate went from 1.6 percent in 2023 to 0.8 percent in 2024. He allowed two stuffs, which is a tackle at or behind the line of scrimmage, last season.
The lone negative has been penalties, with Walker guilty of six holds in 2024 compared to two in 2023. However, of his nine total penalties last season, five came in the first three weeks.
Could the Packers do better than Walker at left tackle? Sure. Could that player be Morgan? Maybe.
However, there’s another reason beyond performance why Walker should start next season.
Compensatory draft picks.
The biggest factor in free-agent compensatory picks is annual salary. Left tackle is a premium position. They get paid. A lot.
According to OverTheCap.com, 11 left tackles are getting at least $20 million per season. Another five are earning at least $15 million per season. That’s half the league’s left tackles.
One contract, in particular, from this past offseason sticks out like a sore thumb.
The Tennessee Titans signed Dan Moore away from the Pittsburgh Steelers on a four-year deal worth $82 million. That’s $20.5 million per season. Is Moore a great left tackle? No. You could easily argue that Walker isn’t just better but is considerably better.
According to Sports Info Solutions, Moore allowed 15 sacks last season – four more than any offensive lineman in the NFL. In the run game, his blown-block rate was 2.5 percent and he allowed four stuffs.
With Moore collecting a massive payday, the Steelers are slated to earn a third-round compensatory pick in the 2026 draft.
Based on that alone, the Packers need Walker to once again be the team’s starting left tackle. They would benefit from his solid performance in 2025 and reap the rewards of what should be a premium draft pick in 2027.
Lest you think that was one stupid, outlier contract: After the Super Bowl debacle, the Kansas City Chiefs needed to address their offensive line. They gave Jaylon Moore, a former fifth-round pick with 12 starts on his resume (and never more than five in a season), a two-year deal worth $30 million. That $15.0 million average has the San Francisco 49ers in line to get a fifth-round pick.
So, Walker is going to get a huge contract. But only if he plays.
Walker is quite a story. He was a seventh-round pick in 2022 who barely made the roster and played a grand total of four snaps on special teams as a rookie. In 2023, Yosh Nijman was expected to be the swing tackle behind Bakhtiari and right tackle Zach Tom. Instead, Walker beat him out and moved into the starting lineup.
Given how Walker has risen to the occasion, there’s little reason to believe he won’t do so again.
“You just have to compete in that room because the harder he works, the more it brings up the room from the bottom,” Butkus said. “So, we’re going to challenge him with everybody in that room – with the right side, with the guards, with the centers. The harder that they work, the better the room is going to be and the more depth we’re going to have come fall.”
What Walker has done is remarkable. Of 32 projected starting left tackles, 20 entered the NFL as first-round picks. He is one of four who weren’t selected in the first three rounds.
According to offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich, Walker is handling the competition “great.”
“He understands what this league’s about,” Stenavich said. “Every day you’ve got to earn your spot, and that’s what I like about the competition that we have in our offense right now is everyone’s going to have to show up and play well in order to keep their spot, because there’s a bunch of good, young players that are hungry.”
