The Green Bay Packers entered the 2026 season with some things to clean up. They have more talent than the average team in terms of skill players, but the offensive line was a major weak link last season.
Notably, their first preseason test did little to appease those concerns. Even with two projected starters out, the same blocking and scheme issues persisted, and the lack of depth is deeply concerning.
Even if preseason games are meaningless, a 28-9 loss to the Pittsburgh Steelers' backup is alarming. The line struggled to impose its will in the trenches, and even with a fully healthy unit, they may not be good enough to give Jordan Love a clean pocket or help the running game.
The Green Bay Packers' offensive line is still a major concern
Jordan Love and most of the starters pushed the ball 46 yards down the field in the opening drive before settling for a field goal. Then, as a team, the Packers averaged a whopping 2.6 yards per carry and had 97 total passing yards. That was despite some twitchy and potentially explosive runs by MarShawn Lloyd.
The Packers had three of the five starting offensive linemen on the field. Jordan Morgan, a subpar run-blocker, showcased promise in pass-protection, which was to be expected now that he's back to his preferred left tackle spot.
With right tackle Zach Bako-Bewele and left guard Aaron Banks sitting this one out, the Packers rolled with Sean Rhyan at center, Jacob Monk at right guard, Anthony Belton at right tackle, and fifth-round rookie Jager Burton at left guard. Eventually, Monk moved to the center, and Donovan Jennings entered the field to play right guard.
Regardless of personnel, the Packers simply couldn't get anything going in the interior, a problem that dates back to last season. Josh Jacobs was constantly stuffed at the line of scrimmage and was running into stacked boxes over and over, and the first dress rehearsal didn't do much to prove things might be any different next season.
Preseason games are meaningless until they are not. While teams won't put that much on tape and will mostly go through the motions, especially with their starters, this was their first true challenge to show how far along they were. As it turns out, they might still need to make a move to fix the interior of an offensive line that simply won't hold up in the stacked NFC North.
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