Packers Offensive Line Has Youth On the Inside, Question Marks On The Outside

For years, the Packers have had a strong offensive line.

That didn’t happen by accident. They have great coaching and have invested heavily in it.

They’ve drafted at least one offensive lineman in each of the last 6 years and took 5 over the last two years (plus 5 more undrafted free agents in those two years). In free agency, they’ve picked up guys like Dennis Kelly, Jared Veldheer, and Billy Turner to build depth and competition.

However, there’s still a lot of questions on the line, especially at tackle, thanks to an aggressive front office and some brutal injuries. 

On the inside, Jon Runyan, Josh Myers, and Royce Newman could set the Packers up for success for years to come.

Runyan showed immediate promise as a rookie and took his game to another level last year. Josh Myers stepped right into the starting position as a rookie and looked great when he wasn’t out with some unfortunate injuries. Royce Newman was a training camp surprise who showed some definite growing pains during the season (including more than one brutal outing), but had solidified his game by the end of the year. All of these guys have 2-3 years left on their rookie deals.

Any one of these young players could regress. Newman, given his inconsistency, may be the most likely to stumble. Even with that, it is a promising trio that finished the year on a high note.

Throw in Lucas Patrick, who can play all four positions, and the interior line is looking really good.

On the outside, the Packers have even more talent… but also a lot more question marks.

David Bakhtiari was the best offensive lineman in football before his injury in late 2020. He missed pretty much the entire season recovering from his ACL injury and experienced multiple setbacks. His contract, which has been restructured twice, could also become a problem for team (he’s currently slated to have the 5th largest cap hit in the NFL in 2024), especially when they don’t know if he will ever return to his previous form.

Elgton Jenkins, who was quickly approaching superstar status, is now recovering from his own ACL injury. Bakhtiari’s experience last year should be at least a little concerning as Jenkins rehabs the same injury. Clouding matters even further is the fact that Jenkins is also in a contract year, when the Packers have a tight cap, and may not get to see him play very much before they have to make a decision on him.

Billy Turner, despite his playoff shortcomings at left tackle, has been, at worst, a solid right tackle in his time in Green Bay. However, he’s in the final year of his deal and his salary could make him a cut candidate. If Elgton Jenkins hadn’t got hurt, it’s possible he would have already moved to right tackle and the Packers would have cut Turner.

Yosh Nijman has spent his entire career developing to play left tackle and looked serviceable in extended action last year. He needed help from tight ends and scheme tweaks when facing premier edge rushers, but showed that he’s up to the challenge of being a starting tackle. If he spent training camp transitioning to the right side, it’s possible he could be a solid starter there as well.

It’s crazy to think that a team with Bakhtiari, Jenkins, Turner, and Nijman would have question marks at both tackle spots, but injuries and an aggressive cap strategy have put the Packers in an unforeseen predicament.

The good news is that the interior is full of good, cheap players to lean on. The bad news is the tackle situation is a mess of question marks heading into this season.

Free agency and the draft will tell us a lot more about the Packers plans for the offensive line, but for now, the best we can do is hope for the group to get healthy.