Even though Rasheed Walker did a superb job of protecting Jordan Love's blindside in 2025, the Green Bay Packers didn't make an aggressive effort to re-sign him in free agency.
The decision might even look worse when you take into account that the veteran left tackle signed an affordable one-year deal with the Carolina Panthers that has a base salary of just $4 million with a max value of $10 million. Then again, letting him walk has a silver lining.
While re-signing Walker might not have been cost-prohibitive, Green Bay didn't retain him because Jordan Morgan is in the fold. Sure, he left a bit to be desired in 2025, but with Walker now gone, Morgan will have a chance to repay the trust the Packers had in him when they made him the 25th overall selection in the 2024 NFL Draft.
The Packers have shown their confidence in Jordan Morgan
When the Packers drafted Morgan, Walker was coming off his first season as the starter. All things considered, he fared well, giving up six sacks and 36 total pressures. However, Green Bay wasn't sure he was the long-term answer at left tackle. But surprisingly, the former Penn State Nittany Lion managed to hold onto his job in spite of the then-rookie Morgan lurking around. Heck, he also fended him off in training camp last year.
Fast forward to 2026, and the job is Morgan's to lose. Maybe the Packers could draft another left tackle to compete with him, but any move would likely be for depth. Morgan is clearly in pole position. General manager Brian Gutekunst also needs to add reinforcements at defensive tackle, cornerback, and edge-rusher.
That won't leave Green Bay with many picks to add another left tackle early in the draft, and that may be by design.
The Packers will get to experience the full Jordan Morgan experience
Because Walker held his ground the past two years, Morgan barely got any playing time at left tackle, mostly lining up at guard. Now, he'll get a chance to prove why the Packers made him a first-round pick. And that's the thing. He's still the same talented player he was at Arizona. You could even make the case that Green Bay could afford to develop him because Walker was around.
But now, the wheels are off, and if the Packers didn't think Morgan was up to the task of keeping Jordan Love's jersey clean, they wouldn't have let Walker leave. This doesn't mean that he'll have success. In fact, he could experience a few rough stretches, but the Packers certainly believe that he'll come through.
Unless they make any notable additions in the draft, they'll have to wait until the regular season to find out whether they made the right call.