Ahead of the Green Bay Packers' final preseason game against the Arizona Cardinals, we got the answers to the team's offensive line questions we had been asking all training camp.
Who would round out the final few spots on the Packers' offensive line? Specifically, the two guard positions seemed to be the most up for grabs.
Aaron Banks wasn't guaranteed the left guard job, and Jacob Monk, Anthony Belton, and rookie Jager Burton were in contention at right guard.
Jacob Monk's absence from Packers' preseason finale suggests he has locked in a starting role
Following his return, Banks seems to have taken his job as the starting left guard, despite being out of training camp for a bit. The right guard job is now seemingly settled.
Monk was a scratch for the final preseason game, joining most of the starters in watching some of the depth players compete for their spots.
In Monk's place, both Burton and Belton were active and played. This all but confirms that the Packers have decided on the offensive line that will suit up in Week 1 against the Minnesota Vikings, and it isn't the most surprising group.
Assuming the offensive line is set, that leaves the starters for Week 1 as follows:
Projected Packers starting offensive line after the preseason finale
Position | Player |
|---|---|
LT | Jordan Morgan |
LG | Aaron Banks |
C | Sean Rhyan |
RG | Jacob Monk |
RT | Zach Bako-Bewele |
This would see two new players step into the starting rotation compared to last year, as Elgton Jenkins and Rasheed Walker both departed in free agency. For a Packers' offseason and training camp that consisted of a ton of questions surrounding its offensive line, the final result looks to be about as standard as you could have predicted a few months ago.
In terms of depth, the Packers will have a decent amount of it. The likes of Burton, Belton, Travis Glover, Donovan Jennings, and John Williams have all established themselves as at least serviceable players. While it may not be the offensive line some fans had envisioned over the past few weeks, it seems like the Packers are content leaning on veteran presence to rise over anything else.
With a schedule that features division games early and often, it'll be a big test for an offensive line that has just as much to prove as any group on the team.
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