Jacob Monk’s grip on a Packers roster spot is getting awfully slippery.
When Green Bay gave the 2024 late-round pick a real chance, it came because injuries forced the issue and Monk held up well enough in an expanded training camp role to look like a possible answer at right guard. For a while, that mattered. With a patched-together offensive line in front of him, he at least made himself part of the conversation.
That conversation changed fast once the Packers added former Super Bowl champion Mekhi Becton after three rough seasons. Now Monk’s place is anything but secure, and it’s fair to wonder whether Green Bay will keep him around much longer.
The move makes sense because the Packers’ offensive line has been a mess. The running game has gone nowhere, and right guard has been one of the spots under the most scrutiny. Becton may have his flaws, but he showed in Philadelphia’s Super Bowl-winning run that he can be a steady interior piece when he’s lined up inside.
Monk, meanwhile, has been leaking pressure. Through three weeks, he has given up 11 total pressures, including five quarterback hits and one sack.
He has been flagged only once, but the bigger problem is everything else: the pulling, the climbing, the lack of movement in the run game. It has been rough.
The numbers back that up. Pro Football Focus has Monk at a 52.9 run-block grade, which ranks 60th out of 73 eligible players at the position.
His pass-blocking grade is even lower at 41.9, good for 61st. If that level of protection sticks, Jordan Love is going to be under siege all season.
Monk isn’t the only issue on the line, of course. The absence of center Sean Rhyan has only made things messier for an already shaky group. Still, Becton gives Green Bay something Monk hasn’t: a massive body who can help absorb pressure and buy the quarterback a little more time.
And the depth chart doesn’t exactly work in Monk’s favor. Aaron Banks is expected back sooner rather than later, and the Packers still believe in Jager Burton despite his struggles. Once Becton settles in, there may not be much reason to keep Monk on the roster at all.
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Gutekunsts first move was to bring in veteran guard Laken Tomlinson from the Dallas Cowboys practice squad, a clear sign the Packers are trying to patch things before the damage gets worse. Whether one addition is enough to stabilize a line that has already been through so much is still the bigger question hanging over the offense. [Read more 🡒]