Packers not hesitant about moving Yosh Nijman to right tackle if needed
By Paul Bretl
Ahead of the Green Bay Packers matchup against Minnesota, we are all wondering if David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins will play.
It goes without saying, but if both play, they will be the starting tackles for the Packers. However, what if only one of them plays? More specifically, what if Bakhtiari plays, but Jenkins doesn’t?
If Jenkins starts without Bakhtiari, we know he will be the right tackle, and Yosh Nijman will stay at left tackle. If roles are reversed, Bakhtiari will obviously go to left tackle, but will Nijman then go to right tackle, where he’s rarely played? Or would the Packers keep Royce Newman at right tackle, where he has spent much of the summer?
I brought this question up in a recent article, and while meeting with reporters on Friday, head coach Matt LaFleur would provide some insight, saying that Nijman has rotated some at right tackle. LaFleur would add that Nijman is “more natural” on the left side, but he’s also not hesitant about moving him if needed.
Yosh Nijman has only started at left tackle while with the Green Bay Packers
At the NFL level, Nijman has 604 career snaps at left tackle. Last season, he would allow three sacks and 20 pressures, according to PFF ($$), with some assistance from the Packers tight ends at times and the quick passing game.
However, Nijman hasn’t taken any regular season snaps at right tackle. In fact, the last time Nijman played right tackle in a meaningful game was in 2018, his final year at Virginia Tech. That year as a starter, Nijman logged 639 snaps at right tackle, giving up one sack and 12 pressures. His three seasons before that one were all spent at left tackle.
Whether on the left side or the right side, Nijman will be playing the same position–offensive tackle. However, when former Packers offensive lineman Billy Turner was asked about switching sides, he put into perspective how difficult that transition can be.
"“This is something that I heard Packers legend Josh Sitton say a few years ago in Miami, and that is, ‘It’s like wiping your (butt) with your opposite hand.’ And if you’ve ever tried that, I’m sure you know,” Turner said in 2020 via Packers.com.“It’s really just the mental aspect to tell yourself, ‘OK, instead of pushing with this leg I have to push with the opposite. Instead of throwing this hand first, I have to use this hand.’ It’s the weight distribution and the mentality when you’re in sync during a game, you kind of get in the zone and you just get in this mood of doing everything in the right way.”"
This week the Green Bay Packers’ offensive line will be up against a formidable Minnesota defensive front, led by Za’Darius Smith and Danielle Hunter at edge rusher, and oftentimes matched up with the Green Bay offensive tackles.
Giving Aaron Rodgers time will be a must. In 2021, he was one of the most efficient quarterbacks in the NFL when throwing from a clean pocket; however, he ranked among the worst in completion percentage when under duress per PFF.
To help Rodgers and the passing game out, as already mentioned, we may continue to see more tight end chips and quick passes — even with Bakhtiari and Jenkins available — in order to get the ball out of his hands before the pass rush can get home. Finding success on the ground will slow the pass rush and help the passing game as well.
Where Nijman plays, or even if he starts, will be dependent upon the statuses of Bakhtiari and Jenkins come Sunday. But if needed, it does sound like Nijman will be moved to right tackle in a pinch, which would give him his first snaps at that position in the NFL, and also come with its own challenges.