Green Bay Packers 2021 Season Review: Interior Offensive Line
By Paul Bretl
Green Bay Packers left guard: Jon Runyan
During training camp and the preseason, Jon Runyan was one of several players competing for the two guard openings. However, he was quickly eliminated. But upon filling in for an injured Lucas Patrick in Week 2, Runyan became a steady and fairly reliable presence along the offensive line.
Runyan was better in pass protection than as a run blocker but still certainly effective at moving bodies. According to PFF ($$), he allowed just two sacks and 21 pressures over his 672 pass-blocking snaps. Runyan would also finish ninth out of 87 eligible guards in PFF’s pass-blocking efficiency metric.
"“He had some ups and downs in preseason, as we saw. But the one good thing about him is he keeps learning from his mistakes, keeps fixing those things and making new mistakes instead of the same old ones,” offensive line coach Adam Stenavich explained via the Wisconsin State Journal when talking about Runyan. “That’s what we say in the O-line room: ‘Don’t repeat the mistakes. Make new mistakes and fix the old ones.’ He’s just doing a good job with that. “He just plays hard, he plays with great effort, he uses his fundamentals. He’s not perfect, but he’s getting better with that. If he just keeps rolling, he’s going to do some good things around here.”"
Runyan still has two more years left on his rookie deal, and will, in all likelihood, begin the 2022 season at left guard. However, upon Elgton Jenkins’ return from his ACL injury, the Green Bay Packers will have some decisions to make.