One of the biggest questions on the Green Bay Packers‘ starting lineup is left tackle Jordan Morgan. Morgan is entering his first year as a locked-down starter despite entering his third NFL season with first-round status. However, General Manager Brian Gutekunst offered nothing but optimism for Morgan and an explanation for why he has not hit the ground running.
Gutekunst told reporters that keeping Morgan in one spot this year is going to have a good chance of being the difference in his play.
The position versatility has helped the Packers in times of need, but now that they have him slotted into a starting spot, they need him to focus on one spot. He has not done that yet in his NFL career.
The Green Bay Packers are Having Jordan Morgan Focus on One Position
GettyPackers former first-round pick Jordan Morgan.
Morgan was a left tackle in college without much experience elsewhere. However, he was banged up during training camp of his rookie season and never had a chance to win the job. Green Bay had him play both left guard and right guard during his rookie year due to injuries at other spots. He finished the year with 120 snaps at right guard and 65 snaps on the left side.
They gave Morgan a chance to compete at left tackle the next summer, but Rasheed Walker was the returning starter, and injuries along the line pushed him around again. He played left tackle and left guard in the preseason. Then, he bounced around, playing four spots in the regular season.
To date, he has 478 snaps at right guard, 219 snaps at right tackle, 256 snaps at left guard, and 51 snaps at left tackle.
So, not only has Morgan not been able to focus on one position, but left tackle is the fourth most experienced position he has in his NFL career. It is easy to see why there are concerns, and it is just as easy to see why he did not lock down a job sooner.
Now that he has the job, it is fair for the Packers to bet on his talent to shine through.
Packers Have Big Shifts Coming to Their Offensive Line
Morgan is not the only player jumping into a new spot. Both Sean Rhyan and Anthony Belton will be starting at new positions in Week 1 compared to where they were the year prior.
Rhyan played center to end the year when Elgton Jenkins went down with his injury. However, he had no experience in that role coming into the year. So, once again the Packers are banking on a player having enough time at one spot to show progress.
When they moved Rhyan inside to center from right guard, they brought in rookie Anthony Belton to play guard. Belton was a left tackle in college as well, so this was a bit of a transition.
Belton had enough time last year, and now he dedicated his offseason to learning the position. All three are going to be in new spots, but all three have experience.
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