No doubt, the 2024 season did not go the way the Packers or offensive lineman Jordan Morgan had anticipated after the team used its first-round pick to select him out of Arizona. Morgan was a left tackle in college and with Rasheed Walker solidifying his hold on that position, he bounced around through multiple positions and struggled to learn on the fly.
Morgan did not play tackle at all last season. Instead, he logged 120 snaps at right guard and 65 at left guard, playing in six games and accounting for about 46% of the team’s offensive snaps. He was a starter in one game, the 24-14 loss to the Lions on November 3 last year. That was Week 9, and Morgan did not play after that, having suffered a shoulder injury.
The Packers are retooling their offensive line, with tackles Walker and Zach Tom firmly in place, but with all three interior positions potentially in flux. Elgton Jenkins is moving to center, and the team signed new left guard Aaron banks from the 49ers this offseason.
Assuming he does not displace Walker, that leaves one shot for Morgan to work into the starting group: right guard. He would have to beat out Sean Rhyan, who was solid if inconsistent last year at the position.
Packers ‘Love’ Development
Packers line coach Luke Butkus was asked about Morgan and his potential to play left tackle, but his answer reveals that the Packers are high on his ability. Green Bay is known for drafting and developing linemen, so while some organizations might be getting nervous about Morgan’s lack of production as a rookie, the Packers likely are not.
“(I see) the same thing you see, right?” Butkus said, via SI.com. “How athletic he is, how easy he moves and how smooth it looks. I was just talking to (assistant offensive line coach Eddie) Gordon and sometimes it looks like he’s not straining or playing hard.
“I think it’s just natural, it’s easy for him to just move, to gain ground, to just skim the blades of the grass. It’s effortless. Where, a guy like me, it looks clunky and robotic. But really like where he’s headed and the direction he’s going. Love it.”
Jordan Morgan Figures in Green Bay’s Plans
Veteran Packers reporter Pete Dougherty released his updated Packers depth chart following the release of cornerback Jaire Alexander on Monday, and in his view, Morgan has not sewn up a starting job.
As Dougherty sees the Packers’ Week 1 offensive line, it’s Walker and Banks on the left side, Jenkins at center, with Rhyan and Tom on the right side. But he notes that Walker will be a factor, somehow, in this year’s line:
“At offensive line, where Jordan Morgan is getting a shot at competing with Rasheed Walker for the starting job at left tackle. If Morgan doesn’t win that job or a starting job at guard, he’ll probably be the top backup at both tackles and guards.”
At Pro Football Focus, in fact, they’re seeing Morgan as one of the NFL’s “breakout” players for 2025, with Morgan winning the right tackle job.
“The next step in (the Packers’) plan would figure to be starting Morgan,” the site noted, adding that he struggled as a rookie. “In light of the Packers’ offensive line reshuffling, Elgton Jenkins is expected to slide from guard to center, leaving an opening at the corresponding guard spot next to the newcomer Banks.
“Given Morgan’s college pedigree — he turned in an 83.4-plus overall PFF grade in both 2022 and 2023 — he appears poised to win that job, if not follow in Jenkins’ and others’ footsteps and break out.”
