The Green Bay Packers are entering this offseason with fewer unanswered questions compared to last year. The primary concerns regarding their quarterback room now center on the financial terms of Jordan Love’s next extension and the competition between Sean Clifford and Michael Pratt for the backup role. This is a significant improvement from the previous year’s uncertainty about Love’s performance.
However, some starting positions on the roster still pose challenges. Last offseason, it was clear that former All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari was the starter. His Week One performance against the Chicago Bears confirmed his elite status when healthy. Unfortunately, Bakhtiari played only that game due to another knee injury requiring surgery. Rasheed Walker stepped in as the starting left tackle for the rest of the season but is not guaranteed the spot in 2024.
Green Bay Packers Remain Non-committal on Rasheed Walker at Left Tackle
The Packers selected offensive lineman Jordan Morgan from Arizona in the first round of the draft. Morgan, who played left tackle in college, is competing for the starting job this year. The team has stated they will start their best five linemen, which means versatile players like Zach Tom and Elgton Jenkins could be moved to different positions. Tom was the starting right tackle, and Jenkins was the starting left guard last season. Both can play all five offensive line positions, unlike Josh Myers, who is limited to center.
Despite this, Pro Football Focus (PFF) believes Walker will not only secure the starting job but also listed him as one of their top-five breakout candidates among offensive linemen. In an article, PFF’s Sam Monson names Walker as a top candidate for a breakout season in 2024:
“Perhaps the most under-the-radar candidate on this list, the seventh-round pick from the 2022 NFL Draft earned the starting job for the Packers last season. Early in training camp, he looked like a major work in progress but earned a solid overall grade of 66.3 and was particularly good in pass protection (74.7) in his first year of starting action.
“The Packers drafted a tackle in the first round of the 2024 NFL Draft — Jordan Morgan out of Arizona — but they have a history of drafting college tackles to play guard at the next level. Morgan could theoretically push Walker for the starting spot at left tackle, but he could just as conceivably kick inside to play guard, leaving Walker to develop in his second season starting.
“Walker has outstanding size (6-foot-6 and 324 pounds) and posted just two below-average PFF game grades as a pass blocker in his first season as a starter. He will be very good next season if he can continue his progression. If he can improve his run-blocking, he could become outstanding.”
Walker’s impressive pass protection last season makes him a valuable asset and a strong candidate for the starting left tackle position. However, he and the rest of the Packers’ offensive line need to improve their run blocking. Walker saw limited action in 2022, his rookie season, but last year was his first with significant playing time. If he continues to progress, he could become the next standout left tackle for the Packers.
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