There have been several outstanding quarterbacks for the Green Bay Packers. It’s an unmistakable pattern that has continued from Bart Starr to Brett Favre to Aaron Rodgers to Jordan Love.
Give the quarterbacks credit; three are unquestionably Hall of Famers, and Love appears to be headed for a fantastic career. However, one of the most overlooked components of quarterback skill is quarterback protection, and the Packers have always had a potent offensive line.
Although a number of celebrities have passed through the Green Bay trenches over the years, most notably David Bakhtiari and Bryan Bulaga, the Packers are entering relatively uncharted territory as they approach 2024.
Indeed, Elgton Jenkins is a multi-positional standout when healthy. However, there are a lot of question marks following him.
Green Bay isn’t used to this position, but it’s noteworthy enough that Pro Football Focus just declared, using rankings, that the Packers have the weakest offensive line in the NFC North going into 2024.
The Minnesota Vikings were rated No. 13, the Chicago Bears were ranked No. 11, and the Detroit Lions were ranked No. 1. The Packers were ranked No. 14 overall.
It doesn’t help that Bakhtiari is no longer with us after playing very little in the previous few seasons due to a nagging knee problem. Additionally, the Packers lost free agent guard Jon Runyan to the New York Giants.
Although Walker has had an inconsistent career and was previously selected in the seventh round, Rasheed Walker is anticipated to take Bakhtiari’s spot at left tackle. Right tackle Zach Tom has All-Pro potential if he can reach it, but he needs to become more reliable. Sean Rhyan, the expected starting right guard, and Josh Myers, the center, don’t appear to have the same upside.
Because of Jenkins and Tom, the Green Bay offensive line is formidable right now, but everything else is in the balance. There’s a chance that the current depth chart may look quite different in the fall because the Packers, of course, want to have flexibility on the offensive line.
However, in 2024, this unit will need to demonstrate its worth.
