The Packers are heading into 2026 with a very different look up front, and the biggest change may not be as alarming as it first appears.
Right tackle Zach Tom is the only holdover from the line that protected Jordan Love in his first season as a starter, and Green Bay is now preparing for Jordan Morgan to slide into the left tackle job. Rasheed Walker, who held that spot, left in free agency and signed a one-year deal with the Carolina Panthers.
On paper, that sounds like a major leap of faith. Morgan is a 2024 first-round pick, but he has not yet fully established himself at tackle at the NFL level.
Last season, he spent nearly three-quarters of his snaps at guard, and as a rookie he appeared in only six games. Asking him to replace a three-year starter is no small task.
Still, the Packers are not exactly asking him to chase an impossible standard.
Morgan was taken 25th overall for a reason, and the talent that made him such an appealing pick is still there. When injuries pushed him back to tackle last season, he showed enough to remind Green Bay why it believed in him in the first place. Tackle was his college position, and once he got back there, he looked more comfortable than he had at guard.
That matters because Walker’s 2025 season was hardly a high bar to clear. He graded well in pass protection by PFF pass-rush grade, but he also allowed the most sacks on the team with five.
He finished near the bottom quartile among tackles in pressures allowed, according to PFF, and his run blocking was shaky too, with a 71st-place ranking out of 89 qualified tackles. His overall PFF grade landed him 52nd at the position.
The penalties only added to the problem. PFF charged Walker with nine, one of the higher totals among tackles.
So while there is plenty of uncertainty around Morgan, the Packers may be facing a more manageable transition than the outside view suggests. They do not need him to become Zach Tom on the left side. They need him to be solid, or close to it.
And there is reason to think that is within reach. Morgan already flashed last season, and now he’ll have a full offseason and training camp to keep building.
Green Bay knows the risk that comes with letting a starter leave, but in this case the gap between the outgoing player and the replacement may not be all that wide. It might even tilt in Morgan’s favor.
For the Packers to come out ahead, Morgan may only need to play like an average tackle - or better.
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