The Green Bay Packers' offensive line left plenty to be desired in 2025. Injuries, inconsistency, and subpar run-blocking took a toll on Matt LaFleur's teams offense, and they can't afford that to be the case again this season.
With Rasheed Walker gone, the Packers will finally play former first-round pick Jordan Morgan at left tackle. Elgton Jenkins also left in free agency, so they will most likely roll Shean Ryan to anchor the middle of the line.
The Packers seemed to have most of their starting offensive lineman locked in, but a rookie fifth-round pick may have changed their plans. According to head coach Matt LaFleur, Jager Burton is now drawing serious consideration to be one of the starting guards:
"I see a really young guy that's extremely coachable, athletic, and is maximizing the most of his opportunities," the coach said (h/t ESPN). "So I think every practice he gets a little bit more comfortable, a little bit better, and I can see him, he's definitely going to be in the mix to compete for playing time this year."
The Packers may have found a steal in Jager Burton
Burton has been one of the biggest winners of the offseason program. The Kentucky product entered the league as a somewhat overlooked prospect from a program known more for basketball than football.
With Aaron Banks and Anthony Belton getting some time off at minicamp, Burton got to showcase his skills at both left and right guard. He played all over the interior of the offensive line in his collegiate career, and the Packers could certainly use some depth at all three positions.
The Packers have praised the offensive line's positional versatility throughout the LaFleur era. That often drove them to play Morgan out of position, and they also had Jenkins go from a Pro Bowl left guard to an average center.
Aaron Banks struggled mightily last season to the point where he was a potential cut candidate this offseason. As for Rhyan, he closed out the campaign on a high note, but he's not the most experienced guy by any means, so the door is wide open for Burton to make his way to the field early and often.
Burton, like all rookies, will be a work in progress, and he still has to carry over what he showed and learned in minicamp to training camp. He'll have a bit over a month to watch film and work on his fundamentals to keep the arrow trending up.
The Packers will hope to give Jordan Love better protection and create some running lanes for Josh Jacobs in 2026. And while trusting a Day 3 pick with starting duties right out of the gate might not be typical of this team, he's certainly turned some heads.
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