Which Offensive Lineman Should Green Bay Be Most Concerned About?

It was an abysmal showing by the Green Bay Packers’ offensive line across the board in Week 3. Injuries played a part; eight offensive linemen recorded snaps on Sunday. Until the situation noticeably improves, it will continue to be a pressing concern. So, which offensive lineman should the Packers be the most worried about?

According to Pro Football Focus, Green Bay's five lowest-graded players on offense in Week 3 were their offensive linemen. There's plenty of blame to go around.

There are a few names we can immediately eliminate.

Zach Tom is a no-brainer. The only worry about him is his injury. Tom tried playing through an oblique injury on Sunday and lasted just one snap before exiting and didn't return.

Quite frankly, it was shocking to see Tom in the lineup given what

Here's the good news: There are zero reservations about what Tom looks like on the field when he’s healthy. The line just has to find a way to hold steady until he can return.

Elsewhere, there's left tackle Rasheed Walker and right guard Sean Rhyan.

Walker was Green Bay's lowest-graded player. Still, it's a tall task to go up against Myles Garrett, which was part of Walker’s assignment on Sunday. Walker has also strung together back-to-back years as a suitable starting left tackle. Are we to believe he's all of a sudden fallen off a cliff because of one bad outing? It’s doubtful.

Finally, Walker is in a contract year. If things were to continue going south, Green Bay might have to think differently about the future with Walker set to hit free agency next season.

Rhyan is in a similar boat. The former UCLA product was adequate as the starting right guard last year. Of all the atrocious performances up front against Cleveland, Rhyan was among the least conspicuous.

Like Walker, Rhyan is set to hit free agency next offseason, so if there's some sort of unforeseen drastic drop this season, the Packers don't have him on the books past this season.

Elgton Jenkins made the move from left guard to center in the offseason after they signed Aaron Banks. Jenkins missed a lot of the offseason due to injury. That’s valuable time missed, given the difficulties of the transition. Jenkins has such a strong track record that, despite the slow start and head-scratcher against Cleveland, he should be fine.

Then there are the two linemen who might indeed prompt a glance at the panic button. That would be Aaron Banks and Jordan Morgan.

Green Bay gave a four-year, $77 million contract with a $27 million signing bonus, and he hasn't been great. Banks dealt with a back injury in the summer and missed part of camp. Early on this season, ankle and groin injuries sidelined him in Week 2 and forced him out in the second half against the Browns.

When he is on the field, the results have been less than stellar.

According to PFF, Banks ranks 171st in pass-blocking grade among 184 offensive linemen with at least 50 snaps played. If you trim the statistic down to only look at qualified guards, Banks ranks 73rd out of 76. That includes being ranked 70th in pass-blocking and 72nd in run-blocking.

It's okay to feel some of the Sunday scaries when Banks comes to mind. Green Bay made a heavy financial investment in him and slid Jenkins over to center. So far, it's been a disaster. The only saving grace is the hope that Banks’ poor play is attributable to injuries that can heal up in the coming weeks.

Then there's Morgan, a 2024 first-round pick who failed to beat out Walker for the left tackle gig in training camp and started the season as a reserve. Injuries have forced Green Bay to insert Morgan into the lineup frequently. The result? A lot of penalties and a lot of getting beaten right off the snap. Morgan can’t seem to find a spot along the line to get comfortable.

In this year alone, Green Bay has tried Morgan at left guard, right guard, and right tackle. They had him focus heavily at left tackle over the summer, which is likely the position they had in mind when they spent a first-rounder on the former Arizona Wildcat.

If the Packers can allow Morgan to focus on one guard spot or one tackle spot, it could yield better results. Given the shaky beginning to his career and this year, it'd be wise to go in that direction.

The concern level shouldn't be so high with Walker or Rhyan when factoring in everything, including contracts. The same can be said for Jenkins when you consider his track record in the league.

Banks and Morgan are the two biggest worries along the O-line. Green Bay needs them to be better, given the financial resources it has used on Banks and the premier pick it used on Morgan.