The 2026 Green Bay Packers will trot out an offensive line very different from any recent iteration. Right tackle Zach Tom is the last man standing from the group that protected Jordan Love in his first year as a starter.Â
As part of those changes, 2024 first-rounder Jordan Morgan will take over at left tackle for Rasheed Walker, who signed a one-year deal with the Carolina Panthers in free agency. While there is a good deal of optimism around Morgan's potential, there is also a sense of uncertainty over replacing an established starter with an unproven youngster yet to stamp his place at the position.Â
Last season, Morgan played nearly three-quarters of his snaps at guard. As a rookie, he appeared in only six games. It's admittedly asking a lot for him to step in for a three-year starter without missing a beat.Â
It's also less daunting than it might seem. Matching Walker's pedestrian 2025 performance, if not upgrading on it, should be a very achievable standard for a young player of Morgan's caliber.
Packers are in good hands with Jordan Morgan replacing Rasheed Walker
Two years ago, the Packers drafted Morgan with the 25th pick for a reason. The talent is there, and he showed it last season when asked to step in at tackle due to injury. That's where he played in college, anyway. Back in his natural position, it did not take Morgan long to look more comfortable than he had at guard.
The other, equally important part is Walker's own below-average play last season. It was not his best, to say the least. Despite grading out well by PFF pass-rush grade, Walker surrendered the most sacks (5) on the team. Unsurprisingly, he also fell near the bottom quartile in pressures allowed by tackles, per PFF.Â
He struggled in run-blocking, ranking 71st out of 89 qualified tackles. By overall PFF grade, he ranked 52nd. Penalties became a glaring issue. PFF charged Walker with nine on the season, among the most at his position.
That does not present a high bar for Morgan to clear. The Packers don't need him to be Tom's equivalent on the left side. They just need him to be average, or very close to it. They have good reason to believe he can be.Â
Morgan showed them that much last season. In addition to those reps, he'll have had an entire offseason, plus training camp, to continue his upward trajectory. Nothing is guaranteed, of course. Letting a starter walk out the door usually isn't a good feeling.Â
But the overlooked aspect of the Packers' transition - and what makes it unique - is that the delta between the player being replaced, Walker, and his replacement, Morgan, probably won't be substantial. It may even favor Morgan. For Green Bay to be better off than last year, all Morgan has to do is grade out as the 51st-best tackle in the league.
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