Green Bay Packers: Royce Newman Added to Mix for Starting Guard Openings

In David Bakhtiari’s absence, it seems pretty well-established that Elgton Jenkins will be the Green Bay Packers’ left tackle, Josh Myers will be at center, and Billy Turner the right tackle. However, that battle for those two starting guard spots is a wide-open competition.

Throughout much of training camp, there have been primarily three players competing for those two guard openings, with Lucas Patrick, Ben Braden, and Jon Runyan rotating in and out with the starting offense.

Patrick is the most experienced of the group and is coming off a solid 2020 season. Braden really came out of nowhere but received a strong endorsement from offensive line coach Adam Stenavich during mini-camp. While Runyan flashed during his limited playing time last year. So it made sense that it was these three taking a bulk of the guard snaps with the first-team offense.

However, during the Green Bay Packers first preseason game, the offensive line play, particularly when running the ball, was “very bad,” as offensive coordinator Nathaniel Hackett put it:

"“It was … very bad yesterday,” said Hackett via Packers.com. The one positive thing is, the mental errors weren’t there. So it wasn’t a misidentification, it was more the fundamentals and techniques. So I think those are things that we can continually improve. Just go back to those basics. And that starts with tomorrow, because that’s unacceptable, what we did yesterday. And I think all those guys know that. The coaches know that, we know that, and we’ve got to get better.”"

Patrick and Runyan began the game as the starting guards, but Braden would be rotated in to left guard a few drives later, with Runyan shifting over to center. When it was all said and done, the Green Bay running backs averaged only 2.3 yards per carry, while the offensive line allowed five pressures, including a sack.

On Sunday, when meeting with reporters, Stenavich was asked about the competition at guard, which is still wide open since “nobody has really stepped up and risen above the rest.” Stenavich also added that he expects to “light a little fire under some guys” because of the “lack of intensity.”

So in an effort to shake things up along the offensive line and to bring back that intensity that was missing, at Monday’s practice, a fourth player has apparently been added to the competition at guard in the form of rookie Royce Newman.

Throughout mini-camp and OTAs, Newman saw reps with the starting offense during 11-on-11 drills at both guard positions as well as right tackle—he played every position in college except center.

But during training camp, he has spent a majority of his time at guard with the second-team offense. Well, that was until Monday’s practice, where he and Braden were the initial starting guards—although it’s important to note that Patrick and Runyan were circulated in as well.

While several players along the offensive line struggled against Houston, Newman was one of Green Bay’s top performers. According to PFF ($$), Newman was on the field for 26 snaps, and he didn’t allow a pressure or a sack.

And while I know PFF grades aren’t the be-all-end-all by any means, they can be helpful in illustrating who played really well and who played poorly. In Newman’s case, his overall grade was the highest on the team, confirming what our eyes saw, which is that he had a very good night.

In fact, out of every rookie offensive lineman, Newman had the highest grade among all of them. So at the very minimum, he’s at least earned the opportunity for some first-team reps, especially when there isn’t anyone running away with the competition.

As Matt LaFleur often tells us, his goal is to put the best five offensive linemen on the football field, and if Monday’s practice was any indication of what’s to come, Newman is going to get an opportunity with the starters moving forward to show that he is one of those five.