Acme Packing Company
Aaron Banks was supposed to be the key that unlocked the Packers’ ground game. A hulking 6-foot-5 and 325 pounds, Banks’ arrival courtesy of a four-year, $77 million contract was supposed to free up Elgton Jenkins to move to center while Banks held down the left guard spot.
Neither of those moves has worked. Jenkins has been a disappointment at center, while Banks has been a borderline disaster at guard. Barely healthy this year (he’s dealt with back, ankle, groin, and shin injuries this year), Banks hardly looks like a starting-caliber guard, much less one of the highest paid in the league.
Pro Football Focus grades are hardly the be-all, end-all for offensive line evaluation, but if we concede that they point us in the general direction of the correct answer, Banks looks pretty bad. Among guards that have played at least 200 snaps this year, Banks is the 55th highest graded guard overall (out of 74), the 58th graded run blocker, and the 39th graded pass blocker. Of the three Packers players who have played significant snaps at guard this year (Banks, Jordan Morgan, and Sean Rhyan), Banks is rated as the third-best guard overall, the third-best run blocker, and the second-best pass blocker.
In short, despite being one of the highest-paid guards in the league, Banks isn’t even playing like the best guard on the Packers.
This is a huge problem on its face, but it also presents big issues for the Packers in the future. In all likelihood, the Packers will be turning over a significant portion of their offensive line this offseason. Elgton Jenkins, in addition to facing what could be a season-ending injury, could be a cap casualty in the spring. Rasheed Walker and Sean Rhyan are free agents. It’s possible, if not probable, that all three will be gone, in no small part because of Banks’ bloated contract.
That leaves the Packers almost no choice but to build around Banks for the next couple of years, putting an expensive liability at the center of their offensive line plans during what should be a window of Super Bowl contention.
This is a problem the Packers literally can’t afford. Banks’ performance is hindering the offense the Packers want to run (though whether or not they should want to run that offense is another question), and his contract will hinder their roster building in the future. At this point, Nate Hobbs is probably about the only person in Green Bay who’s thankful for Aaron Banks — with Banks around, Hobbs can’t be flagged as Brian Gutekunst’s biggest free agency miss.
