It's safe to say that not all Cheeseheads were thrilled when the Green Bay Packers used their first-round pick in the 2024 NFL Draft to select Arizona offensive lineman Jordan Morgan at No. 25 overall, even if the Tucson native had earned First-Team All-Pac 12 honors in his final season with the Wildcats.
The disappointment grew when Morgan suffered a shoulder injury during training camp, a nagging injury that ultimately limited him to just six appearances as a rookie, only one of which was a start, and eventually ended his season prematurely. And it's not as if he played overly well in those six appearances either. Despite that fact, Morgan was seemingly in line for the starting job at left tackle heading into this 2025 campaign, but that role went to Rasheed Walker.
The 24-year-old has made eight starts this season, but those have been out of necessity, as several Green Bay offensive linemen have been forced out of action at times due to various injuries. Even now, Morgan is starting at right guard because Sean Rhyan has moved to center following the season-ending leg injury to Elgton Jenkins.
And while Morgan has had a few solid games here and there, he's had yet another disappointing season from an overall standpoint, as his 56.2 overall PFF grade ranks 52nd among 80 eligible guards.
But it appears as if Morgan's days at guard could be numbered. In a press conference ahead of the Packers' Week 12 matchup with the Minnesota Vikings, offensive line coach Luke Butkus revealed that second-round rookie Anthony Belton, a tackle by trade, has recently started taking practice snaps on the interior.
Anthony Belton is getting reps at guard, which could be his eventual position for Packers
"Packers OL coach Luke Butkus said rookie second-rounder Anthony Belton has been repping inside in addition to tackle. Team expects their reserves to be able to fill in both inside and outside. Packers originally were only repping Belton at tackle," writes The Athletic's Matt Schneidman.
Before this week, at least as far as anyone outside of the organization really knows, Belton had only been taking reps at tackle. And in the four regular-season games in which he's been on the field with the offense, he's always been on the outside, taking 84 snaps at right tackle, 81 of those coming in Weeks 2 and 3 when Zach Tom was out with an oblique injury, and another seven at left tackle.
Butkus says he wants every Green Bay O-line reserve to be able to play both inside and outside, which makes sense. But the timing is a little interesting. Why wouldn't Belton be doing interior work all season if that's the case? And maybe he has. But again, this is the first time we're hearing about it.
One can only assume that if the Packers intend to give Belton more reps at guard, he won't be stealing snaps from left guard Aaron Banks, who has certainly struggled at times in his first season with the Green & Gold but is coming off his best overall game of the season in the Packers' Week 11 win over the New York Giants, earning the second-highest overall PFF grade of any Green Bay offensive starter at 83.4, trailing only quarterback Jordan Love (93.1).
So, if Belton is stealing snaps from anyone, the only logical choice would be Morgan.
Now, if Walker, who's set to hit free agency this spring, ends up signing elsewhere, perhaps Morgan can once again compete for the starting job at left tackle. But that's obviously Belton's preferred position as well. So, this will certainly be a situation worth monitoring, not only right now but in the months to come as well.