To say that Jordan Morgan has had a tough start to his NFL career would be a huge understatement. Expectations were high when he entered the league as the No. 25 pick, given his excellent play at Arizona, yet, for one reason or another, he hasn't been able to establish himself in the pros.
Of course, it's hard to blame him. The Green Bay Packers have played him all over the offensive line, and that hasn't helped his development one bit. Now, after two subpar campaigns, he may finally get a chance to do what he does best.
Moving to Left Tackle Could Save Jordan Morgan's Packers Career
As expected, the Packers let Rasheed Walker leave in free agency. They also didn't sign anyone else to replace him at left tackle, meaning Morgan should finally have a clear path in front of him to establish himself at that position.
Morgan was on the field for 748 total offensive snaps last season. He played 358 snaps at right guard, 148 snaps at right tackle, 191 snaps at left guard, and just 51 at left tackle, per Pro Football Focus. As bad as he was, it's hard to put that on him. However, he posted a 64.3 pass-blocking PFF grade, ranking 31st out of 81 and much better than his overall grade of 59.0 (48th). That's a hint of how much better he'd be if he had a chance to play at his position for a change.
Morgan allowed ten total sacks over his five years in college, five of which came in a single season. Otherwise, he never gave up more than two. He gave up just 13 pressures in his final season with the Wildcats. Per Pro Football Focus, all of his 2,392 snaps in college came at left tackle.
Of course, that doesn't necessarily mean that his play will translate to the pros. Then again, the Packers may finally put him in a position to succeed after two years of throwing him into the fire at unfamiliar positions when he clearly wasn't ready.
The Packers don't have a first-round pick, and they will most likely use their draft capital to bolster the secondary and find more help at cornerback. And since they've ignored veteran LTs like Taylor Decker, Cam Robinson, and Kelvin Beachum in free agency, it looks like they're fully confident in Morgan's ability to finally turn the corner and shine in the position he was clearly born and trained to play.