Rookie Anthony Belton (71) took over at right guard during the Green Bay Packers’ 23-6 win over the Minnesota Vikings Sunday.
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Mix and match.
Tinker and tweak.
Finally, some answers.
The Green Bay Packers have been looking for its best combination along the offensive line all season. And while Green Bay’s 2025 line won’t resemble dominant units of past years, the Packers might have found their best group for the remainder of this season during Sunday’s 23-6 dismantling of Minnesota.
Green Bay replaced right guard Jordan Morgan with rookie Anthony Belton for the entire second half, giving the Packers’ run game the power it had been lacking. While Morgan is likely Green Bay’s left tackle of the future, Belton might be the best option at right guard for the remainder of this season.
“I just think it’s his style of play,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said of the 336-pound Belton. “He’s a mauler and he does a great job. I love the way he plays the game. Certainly, that’s going to be, we’ve got to look at the tape and see how it fared for us. But he’s done a great job.”
The Packers’ offensive line has been searching for a branch of consistency to grab hold of all season long. Green Bay has started five different offensive line combinations through 11 games and alternated players at multiple positions.
Sean Rhyan started the first four games at right guard, then Morgan started the last seven. Zach Tom has started nine games at right tackle, while Darian Kinnard and Belton have also made starts there.
Aaron Banks has made nine starts at left guard and Morgan has started two games. And Rhyan took over at center after Elgton Jenkins suffered a season-ending broken fibula against Philadelphia on Nov. 10.
The only offensive lineman to start every game at the same position has been left tackle Rasheed Walker.
Green Bay might have found its best five for the rest of this season, though, by playing Belton at right guard for the first time this year.
Morgan started the game and rotated with Belton during the first half. But Belton took over in the second half and finished with 45 snaps to just 20 for Morgan.
“I know the past couple weeks I have been getting those reps at guard, so I was expecting to be in the inside,” Belton said. “Today was the day. I had the opportunity. I just wanted to put my best foot forward to try to put good stuff on tape.”
Belton isn’t as advanced as Morgan as a pass blocker, but he’s a road grader in the run game. And the interior combination of Banks, Rhyan and Belton could give Green Bay’s mediocre run game a boost down the stretch.
In the first half Sunday, Green Bay ran the ball 16 times and threw it 13. With Belton on the field the entire second half, the Packers played bully ball and ran the ball a whopping 26 times, while throwing it just nine.
Green Bay finished with 42 rushing attempts and just 22 passes for a season-high run percentage of 65.6%. Emanuel Wilson, filling in for the injured Josh Jacobs (knee), set career-highs in rushing attempts (28), rushing yards (107) and touchdown runs (two).
“It was a gritty game man. Really gritty,” Rhyan said. “Kind of got back to that groove that we’ve been trying to find since last year, so that was nice.”
Based on Green Bay’s history, Morgan and Belton seem likely to rotate at right guard the rest of the season.
The Packers had Jon Runyan and Rhyan split time at right guard in 2023. In 2024, Rhyan and Morgan alternated before Morgan suffered a season-ending shoulder injury.
Belton was a left tackle at North Carolina State, where his height (6-6), long arms (33 7/8”), large hands (10 1/4”) and surprisingly nifty feet helped him excel. But many teams projected Belton to guard at the next level due to his inconsistent hands and struggles to change direction quickly.
“I feel like the more reps I get, the more comfortable I get,” Belton said of playing guard. “But it’s definitely different from tackle. If I’m playing football, I’m good.”
If Belton proves he can play guard in the final six weeks, it will give the Packers some intriguing options as they restructure their offensive line this offseason.
Walker has had another solid season, allowing just three sacks to date. That means he’s almost certainly priced himself out of Green Bay and Morgan will move to left tackle in 2026.
Tom, who signed a four-year, $88 million contract extension in July, will be the right tackle for years to come, and Belton could stick at right guard.
Banks ($24.85 million) and Jenkins ($24.8M) carry the third- and fourth-highest salary cap figures on the team in 2026. All of Banks’ guaranteed money came in a $27 million signing bonus, so the Packers could move on from him if they choose. Jenkins turns 30 on Dec. 26, and considering his age and the fact he’s coming off a major injury, he faces an uncertain future.
Either way, it’s unlikely Green Bay will pay both Banks and Jenkins what their current contracts call for.
That could leave the door open for Rhyan — who’s an unrestricted free agent in March — to return.
After Rhyan didn’t play a single snap at Arizona on Oct. 19, Rhyan said: “If you just look at what we got on the line, I probably won’t be back here.”
But the injury to Jenkins gave Rhyan the chance to play center and he’s shown he can handle the job. Green Bay, which let quality players and people like Runyan and Josh Myers leave in free agency the last two offseasons, could probably make Rhyan its center of tomorrow at a reasonable price.
If that were to happen, Green Bay’s line in 2026 (from left) could be Morgan, Banks or Jenkins, Rhyan, Belton and Tom.
“I’ll deal with that later,” Rhyan said after the Minnesota victory. “We’ve got a game (against Detroit) in what, not even 100 hours. Hell yeah!”