Coming off an 11-win season that wasn’t good enough to be a true contender, the Green Bay Packers dove into free agency to fix their issues last spring. One of those issues was along the offensive line as the Packers gave Aaron Banks a four-year, $77 million contract to fill the left guard role and lead a retooled offensive line with Elgton Jenkins moving to center.
While the idea looked great on paper, the Packers aren’t getting what they paid for with Banks, and Jenkins has had his own issues with a new position. Things got worse on Monday night when Jenkins injured his ankle in the second quarter and did not return, revealing the Packers’ lack of depth in the trenches and amplifying the mistake they made with Banks’s contract.
Packers Costly Free Agent Gable on Aaron Banks Now Haunting Offensive Line
Banks has been one of the biggest free agent disappointments in the NFL this season, and that continued on Monday night. His latest subpar performance started with an egregious false start penalty on a 4th and 1 that forced the Packers to punt on their second drive of the game, and ended with five pressures on 40 pass-blocking snaps, according to Pro Football Focus.
While Banks has struggled, Jenkins has also had trouble adjusting to center. His 63.4 overall grade is the lowest of his career, according to PFF, and he’s allowed 10 pressures and two sacks on 293 pass-blocking snaps this season. It created a pair of weak links in the middle of the offensive line, which was made worse when Sean Rhyan replaced Jenkins after his injury.
Rhyan was fine in relief, allowing two pressures on 24 pass-blocking snaps. But while Rhyan is a serviceable backup, it’s what’s behind him that should have Packers fans worried.
Donovan Jennings is currently listed as a backup but was a healthy scratch on Monday night. The Packers also have Dalton Cooper on their practice squad, but the UDFA out of Oklahoma State has not appeared in a game this season.
With Jordan Morgan already in a starting role, the Packers don’t have anyone to turn to if he or Morgan goes down. With the trade deadline passed, this leaves the Packers stuck in a situation where they must promote an inexperienced player from within or find a free agent to add depth to the team.
This all points back to the decision to sign Banks. While the Packers could have used some of that money to acquire some depth, Jenkins may not have been in the position to suffer the injury if he hadn’t switched over this past offseason. If Jenkins is out for an extended period, the signing will only be placed under a bigger microscope and could spell trouble for the Packers in the trenches.