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The Packers’ offensive line has essentially never been a problem under Matt LaFleur. The unit’s depth and performance have always been dependable and reliable, and there’s no reason to assume that will be any different this year. Go figure: a coach whose offense is built on a strong offensive line has figured out a way to almost always produce strong offensive lines.
Early reviews of this year’s line look good. Jordan Morgan and Anthony Belton seem to have acquitted themselves well in the first preseason game, while the starting line is filled with veterans. It should be a good group.
But the fly in the ointment, if there’s one to be found, is at center. The Packers have depth at both tackle spots and at guard, but center is a mystery. More than that, it could be a genuine problem.
Elgton Jenkins is the presumed starter, and there’s no reason to think he can’t be a high-level performer. His one start at center last year didn’t go well, but nothing went particularly well for the Packers in their rain-soaked Week 9 loss to the Lions.
Beyond that, though, things get iffy in a hurry. Sean Rhyan is the top backup at center, and if something happened to Jenkins today, he’d be the man to step in and fill the gap. But his snaps have been an adventure, and while he’s a mauler in the ground game, his pass blocking can leave something to be desired. That’s not an ideal situation for your center, but it’s livable.
The same can’t be said for the Packers’ other three options at center. If they fell into a situation with multiple interior offensive line injuries (say, for instance, both Elgton Jenkins and Sean Rhyan were hurt), the likely successor at center would be Jacob Monk. Monk has the deepest center pedigree of anyone on the roster other than Elgton Jenkins, but he’s not exactly rocketing out of the gate this year. His performance in the first preseason game (three holding penalties and a sack allowed) wasn’t a strong start. It’s just one game, to be sure, but if you hold any concerns about the Packers’ depth at center, that’s hardly going to shore up your confidence.
The other two remaining options, Lecitus Smith and Trey Hill, exist in a frustrating symbiosis. Smith, a 2024 resident of the Packers’ practice squad, was signed after Hill’s consistently poor performance during the Packers’ Family Night Scrimmage, presumably just so the Packers could continue to have functional practices if Jenkins or one of the other higher-ranking centers is unable to snap for a day or two.
The point is, it’s a potentially dangerous spot for depth, albeit one that should be in good hands as long as the top of the depth chart stays healthy. If it doesn’t, we’ll quickly find out about how well Matt LaFleur, Adam Stenavich, and Luke Butkus can hold together a solid offensive line.
