Paul Bretl | 8/1/2024
GREEN BAY, Wis. — During the offseason, left tackle was thought to be a premiere positional battle that was going to take place during Packers’ training camp. However, the opposite of that has been true, and it’s a credit to the play of Rasheed Walker.
“I think Sheed’s been doing good,” said Jordan Love on Wednesday. “I think Sheed has kinda solidified himself over there and is continuing to make a name for himself.”
Back in April, the Packers drafted Jordan Morgan in the first round, a left tackle from Arizona. Although GM Brian Gutekunst would mention that the team believes Morgan can play inside, the thought from the outside was that he would be competing with Walker for those starting left tackle reps.
However, even during OTAs and minicamp, that was never really a competition that unfolded. Morgan would see a few left tackle snaps during those practices, but spent more time elsewhere along the offensive line. And now in training camp, he has only been lining up at right guard, which is where the Packers believe he will have the best opportunity to compete for playing time.
Throughout the offseason, even with the addition of Morgan to the Packers’ roster, Walker remained unfazed and just continued to work, controlling what he could control.
“He’s come in with the right mindset,” said Matt LaFleur. “Sheed didn’t say anything after the draft. He just came in and got to work and that’s what we’re looking for and I think he’s been a guy that’s been totally locked in and dialed in and it’s amazing to see just the growth, the maturation from when he was a rookie to now. I think it’s night and day.”
Walker was thrown into the mix last season after David Bakhtiari’s knee injury. While early on, there were plenty of flashes of the potential that Walker possesses, like any first time starter, there were growing pains as well. Specifically what LaFleur and offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich wanted to see was more consistency from him over the course of each game.
Walker’s overall numbers show up and down play, but like many of the Packers’ young players on offense last season, he began to find his footing during the second half of the season. During Week 9, the Packers introduced an in-game rotation at left tackle with Walker and Yosh Nijman that lasted six games before Walker asserted himself as the full-time starter.
Over Green Bay’s final six games, including the two playoff games, Walker began to find that consistency, giving up just one sack and nine pressures. He ranked 10th in pass-blocking efficiency and 29th in run-blocking grade. Contributing to the growth Walker experienced last season and that he’s carried over into the summer is the improved technique in which he’s playing with.
“He’s got an edge about him,” said Stenavich. “He’s a very intense competitor, and that’s the one thing that has really helped him. He plays with an edge, and he plays with kind of a chip on his shoulder. And with him, there’s kind of a big learning curve with buying into technique, buying into things that may not have been as important in the college game, but when you’re playing against really good competition every day, you have to be on point with things like that.
“So once he figured that out, and he’s still got improvements to make, but he’s making strides, and you couple that with the competitiveness, the effort that he plays with, there’s a lot of good stuff there, and he’s shown us that he’s a guy we can trust there at the spot.”
Like any player, there is still room for growth as Stenavich mentioned, but Walker’s competitive edge coupled with the incredibly valuable experience that he’s gained over the last year has him playing with a supreme level of confidence.
The Packers certainly have the talent to be a top offensive unit in football this season, but in my opinion, the ceiling for this team will be determined by how good the offensive line is, and a lot of that potential success begins with Walker at left tackle–one of the most important positions in the game.
“He stepped up big time last year,” added Love. “I think with the whole Bakh situation last year, he was kinda thrown into a role where it’s that next-man-up mentality and I think he did a really good job, so I think Rasheed is just, the same thing we talked about, building on what he did last year, trying to be as consistent as possible.
“But I think Sheed’s a very talented player. He shows crazy flashes all the time, but just that consistency we gotta keep building upon. But I don’t think Sheed’s ever worried about that. I think his mindset is, he’s a dog and he’s trying to go out there and just prove himself every day and I don’t think he lets any of that phase him.”