It's no secret that the Green Bay Packers have an offensive line issue. After a 39-22 loss to the Minnesota Vikings in which the team's offensive line was abysmal, Matt LaFleur says changes might be coming.
On Monday, LaFleur was asked about potential changes to the starting five. Jordan Love was pressured on 40 of 46 dropbacks, with the Vikings blitzing a whopping 80 percent of the time.
The Packers' offensive line, which came into the game with issues, was very clearly overwhelmed and played about as poorly as you could ask. While LaFleur didn't outright confirm changes were coming, his statements hinted at it.
"Well, potentially, yeah," LaFleur said. "I think it's a competitive situation. Certainly, whatever we do, we need to make sure that we find continuity as quickly as possible. And I think that's part of the problem is we've had a lot of guys in and out of the lineup...I'm not making excuses. It is what it is. You've got to find a way to get it done. But I do think the more guys play together, typically the better they play together."
Packers' options at changing offensive line aren't as hopeful as they seem
Although LaFleur has suggested change is coming, on paper, there really isn't a whole lot to feel encouraged by.
On Sunday, the Packers rolled out an offensive line that featured Jordan Morgan at left tackle, Donovan Jennings (in place of Aaron Banks) at left guard, Sean Rhyan at center, Jacob Monk at right guard, and Zach Bako-Bewele at right tackle.
Morgan, Rhyan, and Bako-Bewele are all but solidified at their positions, as the team has no real options to replace them at the moment.
That leaves just two positions, left guard and right guard, as the positions to really change. Coincidentally, they also seem to be the Packers' biggest issues on the line. While Aaron Banks is likely to slot in at left guard once he returns from injury, the team could also lean on rookie guard Jager Burton for help. Burton was a standout in the preseason, but instead watched as Jennings was played over him in Week 1.
Assuming he is in play at some point soon, that leaves the most likely options the Packers could run out at offensive line as follows:
1. Jordan Morgan/Donovan Jennings/Sean Rhyan/Jacob Monk/Zach Bako-Bewele (the starting lineup from Sunday)
2. Jordan Morgan/Aaron Banks/Sean Rhyan/Jager Burton/Zach Bako-Bewele
3. Jordan Morgan/Jager Burton/Sean Rhyan/Jacob Monk/Zach Bako-Bewele
The most likely outcome for the Packers is that, when Banks comes back, he slots into Jennings' spot on the line, and that comprises your starting five.
As noted above, though, the problem is that it wasn't just Jennings who played poorly. Bako-Bewele looked rough in his first game back from injury, Monk didn't play well, and Morgan played so poorly that he was ranked last in the entire NFL in ESPN's pass-block win rate.
That leaves the Packers with simply hoping things get better. The ideal outcome is that Banks comes back, plays up to his contract, and the team opts to play Burton alongside him on the interior. Bako-Bewele will undoubtedly return to form the more games he plays, but right now, it's hard to envision the rest of the players just simply getting better.
While the Packers likely won't be playing a team that blitzes them 80 percent of the time for some time, they'll still need significantly better play if they want to achieve their goals. The problem is, it simply might not happen.
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