The Green Bay Packers made the difficult decision to cut Elgton Jenkins this offseason for salary cap purposes. The veteran offensive lineman was one of their franchise cornerstones, renowned for his excellent football IQ and uncanny versatility to play just about anywhere in the trenches.
Except now it looks like that decision is already proving to be a disaster for Packers GM Brian Gutekunst. Between Aaron Banks' potential to be a free-agent flop, an unexpected/tense right guard battle, and lingering questions at both tackle spots, Jenkins' presence is dearly missed.
Let's dive into the rather dire state of the Packers' offensive line, and how Jenkins' exit to be the Cleveland Browns' starting center feels like an even bigger blow to Green Bay today than it did in March.
Aaron Banks' slow start to training camp exposes Packers' offensive line mismanagement
Shelling out a bunch of money for Banks last offseason in free agency, only to turn around and cut Jenkins, might be one of the most egregious personnel miscalculations in recent Packers history.
Banks has been injured all training camp. Head coach Matt LaFleur didn't have the most enthused update on Banks' impending return to full action this past Sunday, via The Leap's Jason B. Hirschhorn:
"The timeline is when the trainers tell me he's ready to roll. Certainly, you'd like to get your core guys out there to build the continuity," LaFleur said.
Was Banks even good in San Francisco by the way? The 49ers drafted him in the second round and had no problem letting him walk. Yes, the Niners had their own guys to pay, but still!
The whole thing about paying a premium for Jenkins is that he wasn't just a guard. He was the football equivalent of a five-tool baseball player. OK four-tool — he played significant snaps at every offensive line spot except right guard. Point being, Green Bay could plug and play Jenkins anywhere in a pinch.
Sure would come in handy right about now.
Green Bay's right guard position isn't going much better
Right guard was the one position Jenkins didn't really mess with. Only played two snaps there as a Packer. Nevertheless, get a load of this.
A story was posted mere days ago on the Packers' official website that 2024 fifth-round pick Jacob Monk is "pushing to start" (that phrase is literally in the headline) over last year's second-rounder, Anthony Belton.
Not the greatest sign. While some of this has to do with Belton kicking out to right tackle at times due to Zach Bako-Bewele (formerly Zach Tom) still working his way back from offseason knee surgery, Monk was getting reps ahead of Belton over the weekend, as written by Packers.com editor Mike Spofford:
"Monk got some first-team work at right guard with the prior starter, Anthony Belton, sliding out to right tackle. Guard rotations involving rookie Jager Burton, Donovan Jennings and Belton ensued. But things changed Sunday during an indoor workout in the Don Hutson Center. When Bako-Bewele took his first 11-on-11 snaps of camp, Monk was at right guard with the starting unit, not Belton. And Monk stayed there, with Belton stepping in only at right tackle for the limited Bako-Bewele."
Just think about the context of all this for a second. The Packers are a publicly-owned franchise. A warm, fuzzy community that's passionate about football. Official team websites very seldom go out of their way to manufacture drama, or even craft narratives about specific position battles, at least in my experience. Maybe they go rogue up in Titletown and I just haven't been privy to such happenings.
In any case, Green Bay's digital mouthpiece is implying that Monk may have the inside track on Belton at right guard.
LaFleur still believes in Belton and his versatility, per that article, but like...moving off Jenkins in favor of an overdrafted, totally unproven tackle-turned-guard? Why? For who for what?
Packers GM Brian Gutekunst may have blown it by cutting Elgton Jenkins loose and retooling the O-line
If he absolutely had to — and at various times, he did — Jenkins could be a functional left tackle or right tackle. With Bako-Bewele still rounding into form and 2024 first-round pick Jordan Morgan under as much pressure as any player on the roster to protect Jordan Love's blind side, well, Gutey may have some explaining to do if this thing goes sideways.
The Packers are fully committed to Sean Rhyan as their starting center for better or worse (probably for worse). Every other position is very much up in the air right now, pending Bako-Bewele's *full* recovery and Morgan's performance in his maiden year as a starter.
Considering how important both lines of scrimmage are in football, especially at the highest level, it doesn't bode very well for the Packers that they have major question marks on each side of the ball.
One silver lining: Micah Parsons' eventual return from injury will help the defensive front immensely and, by proxy, put the offense in more favorable positions to succeed. That will take pressure off the fellas up front tasked with protecting Love. But man, it sure feels like Jenkins could've alleviated a lot of the Packers' current O-line problems.
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