Green Bay Packers 2021 Season Review: Offensive Tackles
By Paul Bretl
Green Bay Packers LT: Yosh Nijman
Coming into the 2021 season, I’m not sure anyone outside of the Green Bay Packers organization had any idea where Yosh Nijman was at in his development. We knew he had the potential but didn’t know if it would be recognized. However, those questions have since been answered.
To the surprise of many, Nijman would make his debut in Week 3 against San Francisco, where he held up well, not allowing a single pressure. Over the course of the season, he would play 590 total snaps, including 356 in pass protection, and allowed three sacks and 20 pressures, according to PFF ($$).
When it came to the game plan, Nijman did have to be accounted for, which is one reason why Aaron Rodgers leaned on the quick passing game so heavily, but all things considered, he held up incredibly well.
While the special teams unit and offense sputtered in the NFC divisional round, it’s also fair to wonder if Matt LaFleur made the right decision by sitting Nijman in order to play Billy Turner at left tackle–a position that he had not taken any snaps at this season. That’s an answer we will never know, but in hindsight, one that’s fair to question.
Looking ahead to 2022, Nijman is an exclusive-rights free agent, meaning that Green Bay only has to offer him a league-minimum deal, and he doesn’t have the ability to negotiate with other teams. So even though the salary cap is tight, you can bet that Nijman will be back.