Do Packers truly have an open competition at left tackle? They just might

New York Times

a day ago

GREEN BAY, Wis. — Arm length be damned, Jordan Morgan wanted to prove he could play left tackle in the NFL.
That was his job at Arizona, one he did so well that the Packers drafted him in the first round last year. With Rasheed Walker sturdily holding down the blind side for quarterback Jordan Love, however, coaches worked Morgan primarily at right guard as a rookie because they thought that was the spot at which he had the best chance to start.
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Morgan seemed headed for the starting job before a shoulder injury sidelined him in training camp. He ended up rotating with Sean Rhyan before the injury recurred and ended Morgan's season after six games. Rhyan seemed to establish himself as the sole starting right guard this training camp, so there didn't appear to be a spot in the first five left for the former first-rounder. After all, despite the Packers classifying the left tackle competition as open this offseason, general manager Brian Gutekunst implied another player would have to do something significant this summer to unseat Walker in the starting lineup.
With less than three weeks until the regular-season opener, there seems to be a realistic chance Morgan is on the verge of doing that significant something and winning outright what he wanted all along. With Walker battling a groin injury in recent weeks, Morgan has seized his opportunity as the No. 1 left tackle.
'I've liked it. He's done a really good job and that was the big thing, is just see how he goes out there and plays,' offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said. 'He played against a really good D-end yesterday (Colts 2024 first-rounder Laiatu Latu) and did a good job … it was encouraging to see him out there.'
Morgan hasn't allowed a quarterback pressure or committed a penalty in 38 pass-blocking snaps over two preseason games, according to Pro Football Focus. Morgan said he finally felt fully healthy after a couple of OTA practices this spring and credited Packers behavioral health clinician Chris Carr for helping him overcome the mental hurdle of being hesitant to block with his surgically repaired right shoulder. Now that he's strung together an extended stretch of good health, he's impressed Green Bay's decision-makers on the day-to-day, too.
'He's had a really good camp,' Gutekunst said last week. 'Played really well on Family Night and I thought he even upped the level in the preseason game. Again, he's a young player that his best football is going to be ahead of him, and he's still working on some things, but I thought he played really well.'
Jordan Love going through the motions behind the other three QBs pic.twitter.com/PGlKrsRMCO
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) August 18, 2025
Which of Morgan's skills lend themselves well to playing left tackle? Offensive line coach Luke Butkus lauded Morgan's athleticism and movement skills on the edge in space and said his size and strength are improving. Morgan said coaches have told him he looks confident playing the position, too, and Morgan said he's far more secure entering his second season in the offense. Morgan's hand usage and pad level are still a work in progress, Butkus said, but he likes Morgan's trajectory.
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Morgan said everything happens quicker in tight quarters at guard, so he's had to adjust with more space at left tackle. Even so, the players he's blocking are faster off the edge and that's also been an adjustment. Stenavich implied it wouldn't be a problem if, after all this time working at left tackle, Morgan had to play inside if Walker wins the job. He's still repping at right guard in walkthroughs, Stenavich said, and has enough experience from playing there last year and this offseason.
Despite Morgan's versatility, the Packers have given him every chance to win the starting left tackle job while Walker eases back to full participation. Is Morgan just a placeholder, though, and the job is Walker's once he's fully healthy?
'Oh, it's 100 percent a competition,' head coach Matt LaFleur said Sunday when asked that. 'I think Jordan's put a lot of good stuff on tape.'
Walker has returned to 11-on-11 work in the last couple of practices, but Morgan has still received the first reps as the starting left tackle when all the starters participate. On Monday, Morgan played left guard while Walker played left tackle since starting left guard Aaron Banks was sidelined with a back injury. The true sign of where the competition stands will come if Walker participates fully when the other starters are healthy, too. Walker said he took the most reps Monday that he had since the initial injury and that he's 'moving along pretty good.'
'I'm not going out there every day and thinking, 'Oh, I gotta beat him now,'' Morgan said. 'I'm going out there, how am I going to win this rep? How am I going to win this set? How am I going to perform in this team period? It's not like I'm thinking about that all day. It's really just focusing on my technique and myself.'
Walker has started 35 games, including playoffs, at left tackle over the past two seasons and played well, so how does he feel that the left tackle battle is an open competition?
'I mean, shoot, no one's really said it to me, but I just come to work every day and go to work,' Walker said. 'That's all you can do. I'm a team-first guy.'
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If Walker wins the job, the glass-half-full outlook is that the Packers have a 2024 first-round pick as insurance at multiple positions off the bench. The glass-half-empty outlook is that a 2024 first-round pick still couldn't win a starting job.
If Morgan wins the job, that's better for Gutekunst's first-round track record in the short term, but what happens with Walker? Do the Packers shop him around cutdown day or keep him for reliable depth on Love's blind side? Considering Butkus said Sunday that the offensive line's depth isn't where he wants it to be, the safe bet is on the latter.
No matter who they choose, the Packers have a vital decision to make in the interest of keeping their franchise quarterback healthy after a season in which he was anything but.
'Whoever's playing the best will have a chance to play at left tackle,' Butkus said. 'With that competition, we're going to hopefully add some depth and be pretty good in that regard. It's a competition right now. J-Mo's getting a little more reps. Sheed-O's been banged up a little bit. It's a good problem to have.'
(Top photo of Jordan Morgan: Tork Mason / Imagn Images)
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