In search of answers and competition, Packers rotate their left tackles
This past Sunday against the Los Angeles Chargers, the Green Bay Packers unveiled a left tackle rotation, and from the sounds of it, that doesn’t appear to be something that is going away this week against Detroit.
“As of right now,” said Adam Stenavich when asked if this rotation would continue. “Keeping everyone involved, keeping the competition up, I think that’s been good for us as a unit.”
Rasheed Walker took over at left tackle for David Bakhtiari early in the season and was the clear-cut starter for several weeks. When he really started taking his lumps, Yosh Nijman was given the opportunity to start in Weeks 8 and 9 against Minnesota and Los Angeles but would leave each of those games with an injury, putting Walker back on the field.
The timing of this rotation and even the potential continuation of is coming at a bit of an odd time. Walker was coming off one of a sound performance the week prior in Pittsburgh and did so against a very good edge rusher duo in TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith.
In this most recent game, I wrote in my “instant takeaways” following the game that the Packers could have stopped the Walker-Nijman rotation at halftime because it looked like Walker was the clear better performer of the two. In 28 pass-blocking snaps, PFF credited Walker with one pressure. In 16 pass-blocking snaps, Nijman had three.
“On one side it’s great because you could be on the bench but now you’re playing and involved in the game,” added Stenavich. “Kind of like a wideout where you’re playing and might not be starting but you’re still in the rotation. So I think it just keeps the guys involved. Rasheed (Walker) and Yosh (Nijman) they’re two guys that need every rep they can take and it’s good for them to go out there and compete.”
Now, to be fair, given the body of work from both Walker and Nijman this season, there hasn’t been one player who has consistently separated himself from the other. Nijman has been slightly better in the run game, but Walker has been the overall better player as of late.
There is something to be said for riding the hot hand – which is Walker – along with the importance of continuity on an offensive line. I imagine it’s difficult to get into a rhythm playing every other series. But the future outlook of this position also dictates that the Packers should start Walker.
Looking ahead to 2024, Nijman is a free agent and probably playing elsewhere, while Walker will be entering the third year of rookie deal. Walker is going to be a part of next season’s team—the question is, in what capacity? How he performs this season and progresses as he gains experience can help answer that.
In addition to Walker and Nijman rotating, there was one series this past game where Sean Rhyan went in for Jon Runyan. Although Josh Myers catches a lot of flack, it is Runyan who has been the most inconsistent offensive lineman of the bunch this season. In a very small sample size, Rhyan has shown to be someone who can generate push in the run game, an area where this offensive line unit as a whole as struggled.
“We will just keep working him in when we feel is right,” said Stenavich about Rhyan. “And that’s not a knock on what Runyan is doing at all. It’s just getting him going and seeing what he can do.”
Who knows if Rhyan would be an upgrade over Runyan, but given Runyan’s play, it’s becoming clearer that it’s at least time to find out. Also, similarly to the Walker-Nijman situation, Runyan is a free agent in 2024, while Rhyan is a 2022 third-round pick entering his third NFL season at that point. Why not get a look now at what you might have moving forward.
As of now, what the offensive line configuration will look like on a given series is a bit of an unknown. However, what we do know right now is that the Packers are searching for answers and improved play up front. The run game has failed to get going with any consistency this season, and while the pass protection has been better as of late, Jordan Love was under frequent duress during the team’s four-game losing streak.
Continued success for the offense starts with the play of the offensive line. A run game to lean on keeps this unit out of predictable passing situations and can open up opportunities in the passing game, while time in the pocket for Love to go through his reads is a must.
“There was some good with that,” said LaFleur of the left tackle rotation, “and I think just the competition alone heightens everybody’s senses and urgency to go out there and perform each and every play.”
