The Green Bay Packers let Rasheed Walker leave in free agency, leaving the door wide open for Jordan Morgan to start at left tackle. However, with the Detroit Lions shockingly releasing veteran Taylor Decker, it only made sense that the Packers also considered whether a partnership between the two sides could be viable.
However, it looks like that's a no-go for the former Pro Bowler. According to Detroit Lions insider Justin Rogers of DetroitFootball.net, Decker has no interest whatsoever in joining another NFC North team right now.
"I will tell you that he’s pretty anti-playing for the Bears or Packers," Rogers said on the Lions Collective podcast. "That’s the Lions background in him. I know Ben Johnson did it and that was the right situation for him, but Taylor feels kind of dirty about the idea. It just isn’t interesting to him."
While missing out on a talent like Decker isn't ideal for Green Bay, knowing he won't be joining Chicago either makes it less painful. For Morgan specifically, this revelation could be exactly what he needed to springboard his career forward.
Jordan Morgan Has a Clear Path to Start at Left Tackle
To say that Jordan Morgan's journey in the league has been disappointing would be a massive understatement. That said, it's not all on the former first-round pick. If anything, Matt LaFleur and the coaching staff have put him in a tough spot.
Positional versatility is important for offensive linemen, but the Packers haven't allowed Morgan to establish himself at any position. Just last season, they played him at left tackle (51 snaps), left guard (191 snaps), right guard (358 snaps), and right tackle (148 snaps). That's why it's not surprising to see him earn a 59 Pro Football Focus grade, ranking 48th among 81 eligible guards.
We're talking about a player who entered the league as a first-round pick because of what he did at left tackle in college. He played a total of 2,392 snaps in college, all of them coming at that position. Then, upon entering the pros, Morgan has been asked to become a utility player, of sorts, which has come with understandable growing pains.
One can only assume that getting back to his longtime spot on the offensive line is just what Morgan needs to leave his woes behind him. LaFleur hinted at multiple players being unhappy with their roles last season, and Morgan sounds like someone who'd have plenty to complain about, given the way he was used.
Likewise, there will be no more margin for error. Blindside protection is crucial, and the Packers are trusting him based solely on what he did in college, as he has yet to prove that he can hold his ground against the pros.
Taylor Decker would've never been a long-term solution at the position, but signing him to a one-year deal would've probably allowed this team a chance to develop Morgan into a starting-caliber left tackle, at least for the first half of the season. That possibility doesn't seem realistic, though, and they'll have to throw him into the fire right away.