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Green Bay Packers: 5 Biggest questions surrounding the offense

By Gage Bridgford

ARLINGTON, TX - OCTOBER 08: Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers reacts after throwing the game winning touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth quarter at AT&T Stadium on October 8, 2017 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images)
ARLINGTON, TX - OCTOBER 08: Aaron Rodgers #12 of the Green Bay Packers reacts after throwing the game winning touchdown against the Dallas Cowboys in the fourth quarter at AT&T Stadium on October 8, 2017 in Arlington, Texas. (Photo by Ronald Martinez/Getty Images) /
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3. Right Guard

After the Packers lost Josh Sitton, they were able to comfortably replace him with Lane Taylor. They did not have the same success when replacing T.J. Lang. Jahri Evans was brought in as a stop-gap, but he wasn’t the long-term fix that Taylor was. Evans performed admirably, although his age showed down the stretch of the season. With Evans now gone, veteran Justin McCray and rookie Cole Madison will duke it out for the starting job.

Per Pro Football Focus, McCray was the 71st ranked guard last season. He improved as the season went on but never fully caught up to game speed. He has the versatility to play both guard and tackle, while also having multiple years of experience at the NFL level under his belt. Unfortunately, that experience hasn’t led to much individual success, as mentioned above. Late in the season, McCray looked to be picking things up at the guard spot and will be given the inside shot at starting heading into training camp.

Although a fifth-round pick, Madison is not to be counted out in the competition at right guard. He was the number one pass-blocker in the nation last season, albeit at tackle. In a wide-open offense at Washington State, his run-blocking is underdeveloped and will set him back. He also struggled with bull-rushes, which NFL linemen will know how to exploit if he doesn’t adjust that area of his game.

Overall, right guard is easily the biggest weakness on the offensive line. If the team doesn’t get it sorted out well, then Rodgers will be running for his life far more than they would like.

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