The Green Bay Packers continue to iron out the details up and down a reworked offensive line, with both guard spots seemingly up for grabs and the depth chart still unsettled.
One player who has thrust himself into the mix is interior lineman Donovan Jennings. Seemingly a potential odd man out, Jennings has made a strong case as of late to keep his spot on the team.
Jennings saw action in the preseason game against the Pittsburgh Steelers, coming off the bench ahead of several backups. Head coach Matt LaFleur was impressed.
"He played under control. I like the edge that he plays with," LaFleur said of Jennings' performance. "It's just sometimes you got to temper back a little bit and realize that you're not going to get a pancake on every play."
If Jennings can get that part down, he could not only make the roster, but also see a bit more involvement than he did in either of the last two seasons.
Donovan Jennings in line to secure Packers roster spot after rising up the ranks
Due both to injuries and the strength of his own play, Jennings has mixed in with the first-stringers in practice. In the preseason opener, he saw the field before Darian Kinnard, John Williams, or Travis Glover. Indeed, at this point, Glover has taken Jennings' place as the one on the outside looking in.
Against Pittsburgh, Jennings subbed in at right guard with first-teamers Jorgan Morgan, Jacob Monk, Jager Burton, and Anthony Belton. We could see something similar when the Packers play the Denver Broncos on Friday, in their second game of the preseason.
Jennings may already be a shoo-in to make the roster. He's passed Glover. He may have even passed Williams, who has assembled a strong training camp of his own.
Will he pass Kinnard? It's possible. Kinnard was not one of the first reserves off the bench against Pittsburgh. The ankle injury he suffered in that game could be a setback. Both Monk and Jennings may have leapfrogged Kinnard on the depth chart.
Jennings joined the Packers in 2024 as an undrafted free agent out of South Florida, where he played 53 games in six seasons. So, yes, he has a considerable amount of football experience under his belt, just not of the NFL variety.
He spent '24 on the practice squad, signed a futures contract the next offseason, and appeared in two games last year, for a total of 13 snaps. With Glover and Williams healthy and Burton joining the mix via the draft, Jennings' spot seemed in jeopardy.
That no longer seems to be the case. As long as he keeps putting in the work - and reins it in when necessary, as LaFleur advises - expect to see Jennings on the roster.
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