The Green Bay Packers have a shaky future at the left tackle position if, and or when, Rasheed Walker leaves America's Dairyland this offseason. At least, that's how it seems after Jordan Morgan stepped in during a 16-3 loss to the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium in Week 18.
While Morgan has big potential as a former first-rounder, he hasn't exactly shown it in the last two years. While his versatility has been valued more than anything, he didn't shine at his preferred position on the blind side. He may have been more valuable switching between the guard spots.
This past Sunday, Morgan was credited with a sack given up to Vikings linebacker Dallas Turner, but he was part of two. Safety Theo Jackson was not deterred by Morgan at all, coming inside the edge and finding Clayton Tune. Of course, Tune's futility didn't help things, since he wasn't exactly an escape artist when the pocket collapsed. He also wasn't finding reads quickly, though that's not entirely on him.
Maybe it was the energy of the day. The result was inconsequential for the Packers, as their NFC playoff spot was already secured. Minnesota may have been playing for more pride. Maybe it wasn't indicative of anything seriously malfunctioning.
If it was indicative of what the future looks like at LT, then there may be a big step back in pass-protection.
Rasheed Walker Could Price Himself Out of Green Bay
Walker may reel in at least $20 million annually on his next contract. While he's been steady in protecting the passer, there's probably not enough cap space to go around given all of Brian Gutekunst's recent spending.
The Ringer's Austin Gayle relayed a high price tag, even with Walker's penchant for penalties of all kinds.
"Walker has played 900-plus snaps at left tackle in three consecutive seasons and isn’t a liability in pass protection. That makes him one of the most valuable free agents on the market even if he isn’t an elite tackle or an impactful run blocker," Gayle wrote.
Gutekunst cannot afford another high-priced mistake. If someone else is in the seat, they can't afford to clog up the books as new management begins to inspect this roster to see if it's solid in its foundations.
Walker has been good enough to be overpaid by some team out there, but not good enough for the Packers to feel justified in being the ones doing the overpaying.
That probably means Walker is a goner. We'll see how Morgan does as the next man up.