Packers feeling effects of not making usual veteran offensive tackle addition
By Paul Bretl
At some point during each of the previous three seasons, GM Brian Gutekunst made a veteran offensive tackle addition. However, the Green Bay Packers did not do that in 2022 and they are now feeling the effects of it.
Towards the end of the 2019 season, the Packers would bring in Jared Veldheer, who played 98 snaps between Week 17 and the NFC Divisional round, allowing no pressures, according to PFF ($$).
In 2020, the team signed Rick Wagner in the offseason, and although he wasn’t a preferred starter immediately, he did end up playing 756 snaps that season, including two playoff games.
Then in 2020, Green Bay took a similar approach, signing Dennis Kelly over the summer. Like Wagner, he didn’t start right away, but Kelly did take over at right tackle for the final five games as the Packers dealt with injuries. After allowing just one sack and four pressures during that span, Kelly got the start against San Francisco in the playoffs–although he did not fare well.
Green Bay Packers offensive line play in 2022 has not been good enough
While a veteran addition at offensive tackle had become the norm for Gutekunst, and in each of the past three seasons, that player did end up playing a significant role, it’s also something that didn’t take place this offseason, or at least not yet. The Packers now find themselves in a position where having that option would be helpful.
Despite getting David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins back this season, the offensive line play has not been nearly as good as anticipated. Green Bay ranks 20th by ESPN’s pass-block win rate metric and 21st in run-blocking win rate–although Aaron Jones and AJ Dillon are still averaging 4.7 yards per rush as a duo.
This season, the up-and-down play culminated on Sunday with what Matt LaFleur called the worst offensive line performance since taking over as Head Coach. To put it simply, the New York Jets defensive front dominated the game, and while much of the attention has been on the adjustments that LaFleur and Aaron Rodgers can make, it doesn’t much matter what they do if the blocking doesn’t improve.
Everyone except for Bakhtiari would struggle against the Jets, but once again, it was Royce Newman who had the biggest issues. Given that performance, coupled with how he’s played all season, I’m not sure how LaFleur can trot out the same starting five this week in Washington. It’s also not as if Jenkins has had a lot of success at right tackle, either.
The Packers could choose to start Yosh Nijman at right tackle or even Zach Tom and move Jenkins to right guard. However, it’s not as if these are full-proof solutions either. Nijman has never taken an NFL snap at right tackle, and it doesn’t sound like he’s had much practice time there. Tom, who did look good at right tackle over the summer, is a rookie, so there are still some unknowns, and in all likelihood, he is going to take some lumps.
One would think that if the Packers truly believed that either player could take those right tackle snaps, the move would have already happened. While Sunday may have been the offensive line’s worst performance, it’s not as if they haven’t had issues prior to this–particularly on the right side.
Given the uncertainty that comes with Nijman and Tom at right tackle, ideally, the Packers would have a Wagner or Kelly-esque player already on the team that they could lean on. But that just isn’t the case.
This also doesn’t mean that Gutey didn’t take a swing at adding someone—we just don’t know. Perhaps the right player wasn’t available or from a salary cap standpoint it didn’t make sense. This is also a position that the Packers have invested a lot of draft capital into, and there weren’t exactly many roster spots up for grabs this summer, which may have played a factor in not bringing in a veteran as well.
In addition to all of that, I have to think that Gutey and Co. simply thought this unit would better with Jenkins and Bakhtiari back in the mix along with Newman, Josh Myers, and Jon Runyan all having more experience.
Without question, changes have to be made; however, that doesn’t guarantee that the offensive line play is going to improve drastically, either, considering the inexperience that will be taking over at right tackle. But it’s worth a shot. At the end of the day, this Packers offense is only going as far as the offensive line takes it.