Is Sean Rhyan Ready to Start for the Green Bay Packers?

The 2024 NFL season will be a critical one for Green Bay Packers guard Sean Rhyan. The former UCLA star will be entering his third pro season. He has yet to start an NFL game in his first two. This will be his best and possibly final chance to prove he can be the Packers starting right guard, but is he equal to the task?

Packers GM Brian Gutekunst selected Rhyan in the third round of the 2022 NFL Draft with the 92^nd overall pick. The 6’5”, 321-pounder played tackle in college, but the Packers moved him to guard.

Rhyan’s rookie season did not go as planned. In training camp, it quickly became apparent he needed more time to adjust to the pro game and to the position change. Rhyan never seemed to compete for a starting position along the offensive line.

Once the season began, he continued to struggle. He only played one play in one game; a special teams snap in the Packers Week 9 road loss to the Lions.

His struggles got even worse when the NFL suspended him for the final six games of the season for violating the league’s policy on performance enhancing drugs.

So, Rhyan entered the 2023 season with something to prove. He looked better in training camp and worked hard. During the preseason, he got some looks at center in addition to guard.

He started the season as a backup behind Elgton Jenkins and Jon Runyan and was buried on the depth chart. In the team’s first seven games, Rhyan was inactive for one and did not play in three more. He took the field for a total of seven snaps on special teams.

When Runyan suffered an injury that limited him a bit, Rhyan began to take the field to spell him. He and Runyan alternated series for the rest of the season. While Runyan started every game, Rhyan saw more snaps on offense as the season progressed.

Head coach Matt LaFleur was encouraged by the progress Rhyan made as he got more playing time. “He’s done his job,” LaFleur said in late November. “He’s a big guy that when he goes in there, he’s tough to move off his spot, and he’s done a nice job in both the run game and the pass game. It’s been very encouraging for what he’s been able to accomplish.”

Offensive line coach Luke Butkus liked how hard Rhyan was working. “Sean’s been working his butt off,” Butkus said. “It’s nice to see you’re hard work pay off, and that’s in any profession. He’s really been studying, mentally and physically, he’s been doing a good job for us, and it’s been rewarding for him to get out on the field for a few snaps here and there. They’re playing well.”

By the end of the season, Rhyan played in 12 of the Packers 17 games in the regular season and was on the field for 183 total snaps on offense. He also saw action in both playoff games for the Packers, playing a total of 46 more plays on offense.

Rhyan graded out better as a run blocker than he did in pass protection according to Pro Football Focus. He still needs to improve his technique in pass protection as noted by offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich.

“He’s still got a ways to go,” Stenavich said shortly after the Packers lost their playoff game against San Francisco. “I like what I’ve seen from him from a physicality standpoint. He does a good job in the run game at the point of attack. But he still has a ways to go in pass protection would be his biggest thing moving forward. If he wants to be a staple guard of this league, you obviously have to excel in this realm. So that’s one thing we are going to focus on with as we move forward just to elevate that part of his game.”

This offseason opened up a window of opportunity for Rhyan. Runyan’s contract expired, and he signed with the New York Giants. That leaves Rhyan at the top of the team’s depth chart at right guard as the team opened OTAs.

The question is whether Rhyan will be able to seize this opportunity and become a full-time starter for the first time in his career. The coaching staff has always stated they want the best five offensive linemen on the field as starters. Now it’s up to Rhyan to prove he should be one of those five.