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What the Packers do with left tackle David Bakhtiari’s contract will set the tone at the position.
In the third installment of our State of the Roster series, we’re going to be focusing on the Green Bay Packers’ offensive line. Historically, this has been one of the strongest positions of the team, along with quarterback, during the Ted Thompson/Brian Gutekunst era.
This year, though, there’s a decent amount of question marks at the position. Not only are two players who played a significant amount of snaps for the line expected to leave in free agency this offseason, but the biggest cap casualty question mark for the team also resides at the position.
As a reminder, here’s our position-by-position publishing schedule for this series:
The elephant in the room here is what the team will do with David Bakhtiari in 2024. At the moment, Bakhtiari is scheduled to have a $40 million cap hit going into next season, which would be the highest cap hit ever for any non-quarterback in the history of football.
On top of that, Bakhtiari’s health is a question, as he missed the majority of the 2023 season after the decision was made that he needed to have another surgery on his knee, this time to fix the cartilage issue that has now been identified as the reason why he’s rarely seen the field since his 2020 ACL tear.
If Bakhtiari is let go by the Packers, the assumption is that Rasheed Walker will take over as the team’s left tackle, though, there is little proven depth behind Walker and presumed starting right tackle Zach Tom in that scenario. Swing tackle Yosh Nijman, who was tendered as a restricted free agent last offseason, almost certainly will leave in free agency after his playing time was slashed to a third of his 2022 snaps with the emergence of Walker in 2023. Behind Tom and Walker, assuming Bakhtiari and Nijman are gone, will be Caleb Jones, Luke Tenuta and Kadeem Telfort, who collectively have not started a single game in their six combined seasons as Packers.
Jones has played a total of one snap for Green Bay, on special teams, while Tenuta has played just seven offensive snaps — all coming in 2022. Telfort, who signed a reserve/futures contract after spending last season on the practice squad, has yet to play a regular-season game for the Packers.
Early on in April’s draft, the team could address tackle with a player they prefer to start, at least long-term, over Walker. In the later rounds, it wouldn’t be surprising if the team took a couple of swings on players in an attempt to add depth to the position.
Guard
Under Contract: Elgton Jenkins, Sean Rhyan and Royce Newman
Free Agent: Jon Runyan Jr.
Guard isn’t a position where the Packers are expected to lose as many bodies as tackle, but the fact that Jon Runyan Jr. is set to hit free agency does leave the position on thin ice. Should Runyan — who has stated that he wants to return to Green Bay — move on, the team’s only backup at the position is Royce Newman, the former draft pick who was once a starter before his struggles led to him falling down the depth chart.
If the Packers do select an offensive lineman early on in April’s draft, do not be surprised if one of either the draft pick or Zach Tom ends up kicking inside. Sean Rhyan has yet to be a full-time starter for Green Bay at right guard, meaning that only Elgton Jenkins is a “lock” to start at the position.
Center
Under Contract: Josh Myers
Center is extremely thin for the Packers. The team has a couple of internal options if starter Josh Myers goes down, as all of Elgton Jenkins, Zach Tom and Sean Rhyan have snapped with the team during practices and/or games. That means moving a preferred starter away from a primary position, though, which is never the best option.
In recent seasons, Green Bay has stocked up on tackle bodies, which now leaves them with few good solutions if something goes wrong in the interior. Still, the Packers’ coaching staff, and quarterback Jordan Love, have spoken highly of Myers’ play over the last two years, despite fans not being fully sold on his performances.
It would be pretty surprising if Green Bay addressed the position early in the draft this year, but it wouldn’t shock anyone if the Packers added a depth swing offensive lineman who could play both center and guard in April. If the team drafts a tackle on Day 1, maybe one of Jenkins, Tom or Rhyan will end up moving to center for the summer and push Myers in a camp battle.
