Green Bay Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers can see a difference in Royce Newman entering the 2022 season. The second-year offensive lineman literally looks different.
“Royce looks heavier,” Rodgers said earlier this month. “He might not look the same coming out of the shower to his girlfriend as he did last year. I feel like his belly got a little bigger, but that might make him a better right guard.”
Improvement is necessary after an up-and-down rookie season.
Newman, a fourth-round pick of the Packers in 2021, said the game is starting to slow down a little bit after starting 16 of 17 games at right guard in Green Bay last season.
“Learning the technique, the speed of the game, how much it’s ramped up. Getting used to that,” Newman said. “Blocking these guys in the middle because I played tackle in college, so just learning how to play guard again, getting used to that.”
Newman was terrific during the preseason, earned the starting job at right guard to open the year but still went through the normal ebbs and flows of being a rookie starter at a new position. He struggled early and ascended late, but the Packers eventually replaced him in the starting lineup to end the season.
According to Pro Football Focus, Newman played 1,084 snaps as a rookie. He gave up six sacks and 32 total pressures and was flagged five times for penalties. Despite a strong stretch in December, Newman still finished 52nd in blocking grade at PFF among 63 guards with at least 600 snaps played.
Can he take the widely coveted second-year leap in 2022?
With Billy Turner and Lucas Patrick playing elsewhere and David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins still recovering from injuries, Newman once again has a real opportunity to be a starter for the Packers offensive line. He may need to beat out one of the rookies, including third-round pick Sean Rhyan and fourth-round pick Zach Tom.
Playing guard in the NFL is a tough gig, but as Rodgers noted, Newman believes he’s stronger and ready to play faster entering Year 2.
“Don’t have to worry about where I’m going like when I first got here,” Newman said. “I can just play faster. I had an offseason to get stronger. The mental game is evolved where I can play faster.”
Getting bigger and stronger and playing faster sounds like a good way for a young guard to get a lot better as a second-year player.
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