Can Jake Hanson Make His Way onto Packers Roster Again?

For the most part, before training camp and the preseason even begin, we know who a majority of the roster spots on the Green Bay Packers 53-man are going to belong to. And as the summer unfolds, we get a good idea of who is in contention to earn those unaccounted-for roster spots.

However, last year, out of all of the roster prediction articles that were out there, I’m not sure anyone had the second-year offensive lineman Jake Hanson making the team. But as we all know, he did.

He would appear in two games last season for the Packers — against Kansas City and Minnesota — and played six total offensive snaps. Hanson was also on the field for 13 special teams snaps as well.

Hanson was a sixth-round pick by the Packers in 2020 out of Oregon, where he was a very experienced player, on the field of 3,237 career snaps, according to PFF ($$), all of which came at center. He also allowed just two sacks during that span, and never more than 14 pressures in a season.

Hanson didn’t test all that well during the pre-draft process, posting a RAS of just 3.74, and when on the field, he looked overmatched. As a result, Hanson spent the 2020 season on the practice squad–and I imagine this is one reason why he flew under the radar last summer.

Also, it’s not as if we ever really heard his name mentioned, which often happens with those who are standing out over the summer–which he clearly did. Most of what we saw from Hanson was a poor snap against Buffalo in the preseason and not being aware of the play clock, which resulted in a delay of game penalty.

Hanson is the prime example of showcasing how little we really know of what’s taking place inside the walls of Lambeau Field.

This year for Hanson, he will once again be looking to make the roster in what is a competitive offensive line group with many of the roster spots already accounted for.

As I’ve pointed out before, depending on the health of David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins, up to eight roster spots are already accounted for with those two, Yosh Nijman, Jon Runyan, Royce Newman, Josh Myers, Sean Rhyan, and Zach Tom. In all three years under LaFleur, the Packers have kept nine offensive linemen on the initial 53-man roster.

So there may be anywhere from one to three roster spots available this summer — again, depending on health — and competing with Hanson will be Cole Van Lanen and Rasheed Walker, most notably.

While Hanson has spent most of his time in Green Bay at center, during OTAs and minicamp, he has taken snaps at right guard as well — and we all know how important that positional versatility is — including some with the first-team.

On top of that, in terms of backup options at center, the Packers are limited to a degree. Jenkins could fill that role; however, we don’t know when he is going to return, and my guess is that he provides more value at right tackle than at center.

Perhaps rookie Zach Tom will be the backup option behind Myers, but he is entering his first season while Hanson is entering his third–and there is always something to be said for experience, especially when working with Aaron Rodgers.

Ultimately, it’s going to come down to how Hanson and the rest of the offensive linemen on this Packers team performs over the coming months. But in a crowded offensive line room, don’t forget about Hanson, who was on the roster in 2021, can play a couple of positions, and has a few years of experience in LaFleur’s system.