Packers Offensive Line 2024

[BSA]

This is from ProFootball Rumors, an article on moving college LTs post-draft
The Packers have done this for some time, but this years' crop of top OTs are on the move

https://www.profootballrumors.com/2024/ ... y-to-start

"Tackle-to-guard moves from college to the pros are certainly not uncommon, and Jordan Morgan moving inside would represent yet another transition involving a 2024 first-round tackle. If Duke tackle Graham Barton counts, 9 college tackles were chosen in this year’s first round.
Of that group, most are changing positions. Joe Alt (Chargers) is sliding from left to right tackle, while JC Latham is moving from right to left tackle with the Titans. The Saints flipped Oregon State RT Taliese Fuaga to the blind side, while the Steelers are readying Washington LT Troy Fautanu for a Week 1 RT role. The Cowboys are shifting Oklahoma’s Tyler Guyton from right to left tackle. The Bucs are moving Barton from left tackle to center, though that was widely expected."

[YoHoChecko]

This is from ProFootball Rumors, an article on moving college LTs post-draft
The Packers have done this for some time, but this years' crop of top OTs are on the move

https://www.profootballrumors.com/2024/ ... y-to-start

"Tackle-to-guard moves from college to the pros are certainly not uncommon, and Jordan Morgan moving inside would represent yet another transition involving a 2024 first-round tackle. If Duke tackle Graham Barton counts, 9 college tackles were chosen in this year’s first round.
Of that group, most are changing positions. Joe Alt (Chargers) is sliding from left to right tackle, while JC Latham is moving from right to left tackle with the Titans. The Saints flipped Oregon State RT Taliese Fuaga to the blind side, while the Steelers are readying Washington LT Troy Fautanu for a Week 1 RT role. The Cowboys are shifting Oklahoma’s Tyler Guyton from right to left tackle. The Bucs are moving Barton from left tackle to center, though that was widely expected."

So 5 side-switchers, 2 outside-to-inside, 2 staying where they had been.

The right to left for Latham is wild, but it's happening for two others (Guyton makes sense; Fuaga surprises me). It's also a little surprising that Fautanu and Fuaga are both sticking on the outside so far.

I haven't checked in a couple weeks on Barton's snapping. He was having issues with it (as was expected from scouting reports) early in camp; funny that Monk and Barton are from the same school and with such similar profiles (highly athletic interior OL whose best position is likely C but their snaps have not been NFL-starting level) but obviously are on different levels of tape and readiness overall, hence the first versus 5th round. I do think Monk late is a better value than Barton early, even though I wanted Barton very badly and preferred him to Morgan with our first pick given the possible starting position on our OL was more likely C or G than OT, but it looks like we got us a G anyway And I've looked at the OT draft positions and really weren't many guys that fit what we do on the outside available from the Hopper pick on down through the end.

[Yoop]

I also have been wondering about this supposed revitalization of the Packers selecting football players who "love football". Like they eat, sleep, and breathe it. I would love to pick the brain of someone in the Packers organization and get a ranking of who it means the most to/least to. It seemed like such a theme from last years rookie class and has been a recurring theme, thus far, from this years rookie class. I would love a compare/contrast to that of Sean Rhyan, Josh Meyers and Royce Newman. Would it help explain the ascent of guys like Tom and Sheed and would it explain the plateau/regression of Rhyan, Meyers and Newman? I wonder.

A while back Belichick listed the top five traits he looks for and #1 was loves the game and OT always seemed like a really simple thing to put emphasis on and so I’d also be curious.

It is interesting though because for instance Rasheed Walker’s pre-draft profile was NOT of someone who loves the game so much. It was mostly injury, but also motivation and attitude questions, if i remember correctly that dropped him from being a probable 4th/5th round guy to a 7th

I actually think @Yoop's comment puts this in perspective a bit. Maybe everyone loves the game coming in, but in the case of Meyers and Newman and others from the past, do they STILL love the game once they have been through a few seasons. In Walker's case, maybe the success he has enjoyed has reinvigorated his love for the game and pushed him to work harder. Just interesting psychology that I would be interested in having conversations about.

I agree, I think plenty of variables play a part here that would grow that Love of the game, that Palmy clip that 23 banners is so spot on imho, any player that gets to this level obviously loves this game, and is hugely talented, so then success, likes or dislikes of coaching, scheme, and simply getting along with team mates can be a huge plus for them, or just the opposite.

I know I seem impatient with young players at times, I'am really not, rather just want to win, and wish they'd do better.

we see players upset, or acting like they don't care, pissed at coaches, QB, what have you, down deep they still care though, this game is to hard for non caring people

as for Morgan ( any rookie OL) we move all lineman, they get a bit of L/R because our motto is the best 5 play, to do so means they have to be able to play both sides of center, and if they have edge ability they'll need to know how to play tackle as well.

last time we purposely draft a interior OL, was 30 years ago in round one, to me that is significant, so I don't see Morgan as a permanent interior OL, jmo

[Yoop]

So 5 side-switchers

haha, it seems switching sides is very important, it's so early, wasn't it Fontenoe (SP) that took 5 years to win a starting position? others also take a couple years to do well.

[Foosball]

IMO the Oline is the weakest link. Jordan Love’s health and the Packers season rests on their shoulders and I don’t have much confidence that they can hold up.

Except for Jenkins, the inside is average and has been for years. Hopefully Morgan and possibly Monk can help improve the middle during the season.

Walker is an avg LT and so far the depth on that side is subpar. Tom is an above avg at RT. He is the Packers best O lineman.

You hope the competition will bring the crème to the top but if there is very little cream to begin with then the competition won’t matter much. I don’t see much in the back ups.

I wouldn’t be surprised to see Gute bring in a couple LTs at cut downs or trade a draft pick for a LT of equivalence to someone similar to Yosh Niman although not Yosh himself.

Something needs to be done. A couple of injures and the cupboard will be pretty bare.

[BSA]

.
Some notes on Josh Myers- who lost his Dad and his hero last year
via Madison.com

https://madison.com/sports/professional ... bd2e0.html


"...Myers’ play was inconsistent early last season, although he never shared the battle his father was facing before or after his transplant.
If that affected his play, Myers never let on.
But earlier this offseason, line coach Luke Butkus and offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich, a former line coach himself, both emphasized how Myers improved during the second half of last year."

“He did get better as the year went on and he had command of this offense and took charge, was a little bit more vocal toward the end in commanding this offense,” Butkus said. And now, while he would much, much prefer to look up into the stands and see his dad cheering him on, Myers is vowing to dedicate this season to him.

“Absolutely. He was with me every step of the way,” Myers said.
“And I’m going to do everything I can to make him proud this year.”

[BSA]

.
Couple of stats from the 2023 campaign as we look into 2024

Here is Sack Percentage ( % of plays where offense gives up a sack, includes both OL and QB being responsible)

The Packers were 3rd lowest in the league

https://www.teamrankings.com/nfl/stat/qb-sacked-pct


And here is total number of sacks per game
Once again, the Packers were 3rd lowest in the league- despite playing with a 1st year QB under Center.

https://www.teamrankings.com/nfl/stat/q ... d-per-game


The Packers OL gave up exactly ZERO sacks in 2 road playoff games against some of the stoutest D's in the league- and Rasheed Walker pitched a shutout vs their top end pass rushers, including some reps vs Nick Bosa.

[BSA]

.
These are the OL rankings from Warren Sharp, one of the original analytics guys
https://www.sharpfootballanalysis.com/analysis/


Ranking the NFL's best offensive lines:

1. Lions
2. Falcons
3. Browns
4. Eagles
5. Chiefs
6. Jets
7. Packers
8. Colts
9. Bengals
10. Vikings
11. Broncos
12. Bears
13. Rams
14. Texans
15. Chargers
16. Ravens
17. 49ers
18. Raiders
19. Bucs
20. Steelers
21. Panthers
22. Bills
23.…
— Warren Sharp (@SharpFootball) July 13, 2024
.

[BSA]

.
One more stat on the 2023 OL

Rushing yards per attempt: Packers came in at # 9 in the league at 4.4 ypc and they bumped that up vs SF in playoffs to 4.9 ypc

https://www.teamrankings.com/nfl/stat/y ... sh-attempt



.

[Foosball]

The depth is the issue.

[YoHoChecko]

.
These are the OL rankings from Warren Sharp, one of the original analytics guys
https://www.sharpfootballanalysis.com/analysis/


Ranking the NFL's best offensive lines:

Just wondering for clarification if this is aa ranking done based on last season's stats or based on future projection. I don't have an argument or anything to say about it either way, I just couldn't tell

[YoHoChecko]

The depth is the issue.

Yeah I think everything about the OL is good to go if everyone is healthy. Myers is replacement level but not some major liability. Whoever plays RG will be fine.

But if an OT goes down, we're in for some trouble, I think. Even with all the sliding people want to do (Jenkins on the left, Morgan on the right), that means a single injury gives you backup-level players at two position because make no mistake even Jenkins is a downgrade at LT compared to how Walker was playing.


I also think it's fair if there is still some skepticism about the proven nature of our OTs given how young they are. I personally don't have that very much. I am a Tom stan and think Walker is a starter on the vast majority of NFL teams. But I don't think it's an invalid concern when people raise it.

[RingoCStarrQB]

The depth is the issue.

Yes. With Bakh gone it'd be nice if Gutey got busy looking for another Bruce Wilkerson or Tootie Robbins type gem.

[APB]

The depth is the issue.

Yes. With Bakh gone it'd be nice if Gutey got busy looking for another Bruce Wilkerson or Tootie Robbins type gem.

I remain intrigued over whether Bakh signs with anybody prior to the season's kickoff or he waits for an in-season injury. If he is indeed healthy - and that's a big if - he'd be a definite upgrade to whatever unit he joins, be it as a starter or for depth. I would not be opposed to bringing him back should one of our tackles go down to injury.

[Yoop]

we have been cross training our young OL for eons, when will folks realize our backup at any position on our OL is the 6th best OL man, and because of the benefits of cross training we'll move a player or two so that 6th OL man can play at the position he plays his best at that time, is that what we've always done?

this idea that teams have a 1st stringer, backed up by a second and 3rd stringer at each position (figuratively) isn't even possible.

we may struggle at times being able to shift players, but over the years we've had top 10 OL's because of this process, I always say if it aint broke, don't get to drastic trying to improve it, could backfire.

[Yoop]

The depth is the issue.

Yes. With Bakh gone it'd be nice if Gutey got busy looking for another Bruce Wilkerson or Tootie Robbins type gem.

I remain intrigued over whether Bakh signs with anybody prior to the season's kickoff or he waits for an in-season injury. If he is indeed healthy - and that's a big if - he'd be a definite upgrade to whatever unit he joins, be it as a starter or for depth. I would not be opposed to bringing him back should one of our tackles go down to injury.

at what price? I don't see it, not for what I'd be willing to pay, Bakh would very likely take it as a insult, and could possibly get more elsewhere.

[APB]

Yes. With Bakh gone it'd be nice if Gutey got busy looking for another Bruce Wilkerson or Tootie Robbins type gem.

I remain intrigued over whether Bakh signs with anybody prior to the season's kickoff or he waits for an in-season injury. If he is indeed healthy - and that's a big if - he'd be a definite upgrade to whatever unit he joins, be it as a starter or for depth. I would not be opposed to bringing him back should one of our tackles go down to injury.

at what price? I don't see it, not for what I'd be willing to pay, Bakh would very likely take it as a insult, and could possibly get more elsewhere.

If he had a viable market, he'd have signed by now. His injury history, along with his apparent contract expectations, have left him unemployed. He can be insulted all he wants but the reality is this league moves on with or without you. You either reestablish your worth on an annual basis or you get left behind.

[Yoop]

I remain intrigued over whether Bakh signs with anybody prior to the season's kickoff or he waits for an in-season injury. If he is indeed healthy - and that's a big if - he'd be a definite upgrade to whatever unit he joins, be it as a starter or for depth. I would not be opposed to bringing him back should one of our tackles go down to injury.

at what price? I don't see it, not for what I'd be willing to pay, Bakh would very likely take it as a insult, and could possibly get more elsewhere.

If he had a viable market, he'd have signed by now. His injury history, along with his apparent contract expectations, have left him unemployed. He can be insulted all he wants but the reality is this league moves on with or without you. You either reestablish your worth on an annual basis or you get left behind.

just saying do you want a disgruntled player, because that is what your going to get if Bakh feels slighted, imo why bother, people are over exaggerating our need for a back up tackle.

[BSA]

.
While I am reticent to clog up the OL thread with Bak-talk, I feel like a few facts might be useful here

When Bak had his original surgery, they were faced with 2 choices on the repair and they opted for the less intrusive path in hopes that the larger intervention wouldn't be necessary. Unfortunately, it didn't work out. And so they had to go back in to repair the femoral condyles, which meant a lengthy rehab. He is in the final stages of that now

https://www.packers.com/news/david-bakh ... his-future


"I hate it. I know the club hates it. It's just not a great situation for anyone to deal with," Bakhtiari said. "The human side of it took a little of stress, a lot of time on my end, but the clarity is to know we finally know what the problem is, and we can address the problem. That's the, I guess, glass-half-full part of the scenario. So, that's where we're at. That's the pill I have to swallow."

Bakhtiari said doctors only extracted about 10-15% of his lateral meniscus during the initial surgery to repair his ACL, but discomfort and fluid buildup remained an issue when he played. Because of that, Bakhtiari established, and then reset, an unofficial locker-room record for having more than 160 CCs – roughly 5.4 ounces – of fluid removed from the knee this year.

He played well in the opener against Chicago but was shut down again after his knee flared up in response to his 55 snaps. Upon a consultation with team physician Dr. Pat McKenzie and specialists nationwide, it finally became clear Bakhtiari needed to address an issue with his lateral femur.

Doctors knew there was damage to the femoral condyles, the two rounded prominences at the end of the femur, when Bakhtiari's ACL injury first occurred, but there was no indication it would affect him moving forward.

"In my knee, it's basically like sandpaper where it rubs, it's just not smooth, which is creating a lot of fluid," Bakhtiari said. "I've been dealing (with) a lot of effusion for a long time, and that's where you see the constant, I'm in and then I'm out, I'm out and then I'm in. We wanted to make sure that we could address every possible way to not do it because we understood what the surgery has to be."

When asked why go through it again, Bakhtiari thought about the question for a second before speaking directly from the heart.

"Because I'm different," Bakhtiari said. "I have an unparalleled work ethic. I'm stubborn as (heck) and I'm not gonna let someone else write my story. This is me just taking control of what I need to do. When I want to look back, do I want to look at the guy who got injured and was like ah, that's good enough? If that's not me, then the future, older me is gonna be (ticked) at the younger me."
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

David wants to play again, he said he wants to chase a Championship
He wants to play for a contender
He prefers to play on grass. That suggests about 6 teams: KC, BAL, PHI, MIA,SF and maybe TB. Packers fit the criteria too, seems unlikely
David talked about the money, its a non-issue. He wants to play again and he knows he won't get LT money and he's fine with that given his $120 M in career earnings. Its pretty easy to structure a deal with vet minimums and then a bunch of incentives based on snap counts, per game bonuses and other milestone-based payouts so he has upside. And the team is protected. Teams might also prefer to wait until after game 1 so his salary isn't guaranteed

From what I've read - his knee is structurally fine. Physically- he can play football.
What he couldn't do is play football 2 days in a row or 2 weeks in a row

So he went to work with this guy, Brian Cole...a world -renowned orthopedic surgeon who has pioneered several cutting edge treatments for the knee. Their hope is eliminate the abrasion/irritation/inflammation so Bak can play football, repeatedly.

https://www.briancolemd.com/brian-j-cole-md-mba/

My personal guess is Andy Reid as he chases a 3 peat. Reid's shown a willingness to take on high-risk, high-reward players in the past and the Chiefs have some uncertainty at LT going into the season.

Whatever happens with David, I wish him all the best- he's a great human and a was great Packer
.

[BSA]

.
Back to the 2024 OL

This ranking comes from 33rd Team, Packers coming in at # 8 with the lineup in the link


https://www.the33rdteam.com/2024-presea ... -the-list/