Plenty Of Competition For Offensive Line Jobs

The Green Bay Packers are making a quarterback change for the first time in 15 years.

They’ll have the youngest wide receiver group in the National Football League and could lean heavily on a pair of rookie tight ends.

After having a veteran roster the last several years, the Packers figure to be one of the league’s youngest teams this fall. And that means several jobs will be wide open when training camp begins on July 26.

Forbes is examining several of the positional battles that await. Today we look at the offensive line.

Offensive line

Josh Myers vs. Jon Runyan vs. Yosh Nijman vs. Zach Tom vs. Shaun Ryan

The Packers return all five starters from last year in (from left) David Bakhtiari, Elgton Jenkins, Myers, Runyan and Nijman.

But with solid depth — led by the extremely versatile Tom — jobs will be fought for throughout the summer.

“We’ve got a lot of competition on the right side, whether it’s right guard, right tackle or even center,” said offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich. “So we’re just going to go out there and kind of put these guys in different spots. Getting those best five out there that jell the best and are the most physical, that’s what I’m looking for.”

Tom seems to player most likely to crack the starting five. He started five games last year, played in nine and gave up just one sack in 489 offensive snaps.

Tom finished with a grade of 68.3 from Pro Football Focus, which was higher than Nijman (63.1), Runyan (62.6) and Myers (60.4).

“He’s versatile, like we like,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said of Tom this offseason. “I thought coming out that his best spot might be center. I think he could do that very well. The way he played at tackle and guard (in 2022) maybe opened my eyes that he’s got maybe more potential there, as well. Certainly, he’s going to be in the mix.”

And that puts everyone on notice.

Myers played 1,091 of 1,094 snaps last season (99.73%), more than any of Green Bay’s offensive lineman. Myers, a second round pick in 2021, allowed three sacks and had three penalties.

It was a solid season for Myers, who missed 11 games due to injury as a rookie. But Myers never came close to playing at a dominant level, and the Packers will be looking for him to make a jump when training camp begins.

“I can tell you guys what my mindset is on it, and my mindset is that this is a business and they’re going to try to push all of us as much as they can and they’re not going to hand a spot to a guy if they don’t have to,” Myers said. “And they’re going to push us and whoever’s the best is going to come out playing. That’s just the way it is. And it’s nothing new to me. I’ve competed for spots for a really long time.”

Nijman started 11 games at right tackle, but gave up five sacks and was penalized 10 times. While Nijman was solid most of the season, he was also benched for Tom in a Week 18 home loss against Detroit.

Perhaps the safest player on the right side is Runyan, who played 96.1% of the snaps at right guard, had just one penalty and allowed three sacks.

“It’s a competition everywhere,” offensive line coach Luke Butkus said. “We’ve got a lot of experience in the at room right now, and that’s a good thing. Guys pushing to get better, that’s how you get better, right? Good vs. good. Those guys are pushing themselves. Before Game 1, we’ll figure it out.”

PREDICTION

A year ago, Royce Newman — a 17-game starter who played nearly 1,100 snaps as a rookie — lost his starting job in training camp. It seems likely that Tom — who made four starts at left tackle, one at left guard and played some right tackle last year — could pass one of the incumbents this time around.

“Zach, he is versatile,” Butkus said. “We all saw that last year. He’s going to have an opportunity to play a couple different spots this year, and we’re excited for it. How do we find out? By repetition. Football’s a game of repetition. He’ll take a lot of reps at tackle, he’ll take a lot of reps at guard and maybe at center, as well.”

The Packers seemed determined to light a fire under Myers this offseason. But considering he’s the most experienced center on the roster, and Green Bay is making a quarterback change, the guess is Myers keeps his job.

Instead, look for Tom to unseat Nijman at right tackle during camp. While Nijman (6-7, 314) has the size advantage, Tom (6-4, 304) is the more athletic player.

The Packers are blessed with terrific offensive line depth and should field a top-five unit if Bakhtiari and Jenkins stay healthy. And the guess here is after a spirited summer, Green Bay’s line in Week 1 will be Bakhtiari, Jenkins, Myers, Runyan and Tom.