The Green Bay Packers may not have signed starting quarterback Jordan Love to a contract extension yet, but they have done a great deal this offseason to invest in him. With Yosh Nijman, Jon Runyan Jr., and David Bakhtiari all gone, general manager Brian Gutekunst added three offensive linemen in the draft and then signed two more undrafted free agent linemen once the draft was over.
The first of these offensive linemen, of course, was Jordan Morgan, a left tackle from Arizona. At the time of the pick, many fans were upset that Green Bay did not take Iowa defensive back Cooper DeJean, who ended being drafted by the Philadelphia Eagles in the second round.
Of the decision to draft Morgan, Gutekunst said that he believes he could play four different positions on the offensive line, center being the only exception. Matt LaFleur said that since Morgan has played his entire college career at left tackle, that is where the Packers are going to try him out first.
The Green Bay Packers Have a Position Battle at Left Tackle
After Bakhtiari went down with another injury after Week One last season, 2022 seventh round draft pick Rasheed Walker stepped in as the Packers’ starting left tackle. While Walker became more consistent the more he played, there were still a large amount of growing pains that sometimes led him to be benched during games.
While Walker will almost certainly be better in 2024, the Packers want to ensure that the best starting five linemen are out there blocking for Love. This means that Walker is not being handed the job this upcoming season. He is going to have to earn it.
Obviously, Morgan, as a first round pick, appears to be Walker’s primary competition at the position. However, the Packers also signed Donovan Jennings from Southern Florida, who could also compete for a job there.
Jordan Morgan Wants to Be the Guy Blocking for Green Bay Packers Quarterback Jordan Love
Morgan, along with all the other drafted and undrafted rookies, along with a few players that were signed to be given a tryout, are in Green Bay for rookie minicamp. Recently, Morgan was able to sit down with reporters and answer questions about his comeback from a torn ACL in 2022 and how he views himself as a player.
He also was asked about Jordan Love, who Morgan was starstruck by when the two met in Green Bay. Of Love, Morgan said, “”I saw when [Love’s breakout] happened and that’s really special for him. Everybody loves him here, obviously, and I want to be that one tackle to protect him.”
From the sound of it, Morgan his his sights set on the starting left tackle job. If he were to win it, he would be the first rookie starting at left tackle for Green Bay since David Bakhtiari in 2013.
Bakhtiari, of course, protected Aaron Rodgers’ blindside for nearly a decade before his knee injury limited to just 13 games in his last three seasons. If the Packers can get that kind of run out of Morgan, it can only mean good things for the team.
