Paul Bretl | 10/16/2024
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Back on the field for the Packers on Sunday in their win over Arizona, was rookie offensive lineman Jordan Morgan who, like any young player returning from injury, had some rust to shake off.
“It went well,” said Morgan at his locker after the game. “A lot of rust I’ve got to shake off after missing a few weeks, then going back out there. You expect to make some mistakes, but at the same time, you’ve got to do your job.”
While Sean Rhyan held down the right guard position during the three games that Morgan missed as he worked his way back from a shoulder injury, on Sunday, Morgan was thrown right back into the rotation. Rhyan would play 40 offensive snaps against the Cardinals and Morgan 38.
Of those 38 total snaps from Morgan, 19 came in pass protection, where he allowed just one pressure, according to Pro Football Focus. And while PFF’s grading system is not the be-all-end-all by any means, Morgan’s run-blocking grade of 48.9 in this contest reflects the part of his game where the most improvement is needed.
“(He’s) gotta keep working in the run game,” said offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich last Thursday. “I think that’s going to be a big thing for him to take the next step. So we just gotta keep him moving along, keep him improving, but I’m excited about him.”
Up to this point in his short career, not only has Morgan been navigating the learning curve that comes with making the leap from college to the NFL, but he’s also been working through a position change as well. Morgan spent just about every collegiate snap at Arizona playing left tackle, and now with the Packers he’s at right guard–a totally new position along with being on the opposite side of the line.
“You’ve got to be in a three-point stance a lot more,” said Morgan during training camp about the move from tackle to guard. “Everything happens quicker. You’ve got to get your hands on people quicker.”
Then what about the move from the left side of the offensive line to the right side?
“I’d say just technique,” Morgan added over the summer. “I mean, the footwork and the hand placement. I’m used to punching with my left then getting out there and having to punch with my right. It’s so different and you’ve got to get used to the timing and pick up everything quicker.”
As a former tackle with quick feet, that part of Morgan’s game has helped him with the transition inside. Although working from a more confined space now, Morgan’s footwork, as he put it, allows him to mirror the defensive tackles well as they try to move laterally. He also gives the Packers the added element of pulling him to get him out in space.
Being injured forced Morgan to hit the pause button on his development as the focus then turned to getting healthy, but in those first few games, Stenavich mentioned a noticeable improvement in Morgan’s fundamentals at the guard position, particularly in his hand usage.
As Morgan navigates these anticipated ups and downs that comes with a young player making a position change, has stood out clearly to the coaching staff is his potential. The Packers believe that Morgan can become a really good guard. So although Rhyan had put together to of the better performances that he’s had in his career while Morgan was sidelined, there was no hesitation about getting Morgan back in the mix.
“Jordan I think his potential is extremely high,” Stenavich said. “I think he’s going to be a very good player. So it would be foolish of us not to try and push that along as quickly as possible, and the only way to really do that is to get him out there playing.”
Perhaps the most important aspect right now to Morgan’s growth are the live reps–both in practice and in games. It’s one thing as a player to know the playbook and your responsibilities, it’s a totally different thing to be able to go and execute it in real time. Over the last few weeks, that was a big part of Morgan’s development that was missing.
“There were some good things,” said Matt LaFleur of Morgan’s play on Sunday. “I think there’s a lot he needs to clean up. He looks like a guy who hasn’t played football for a while. That’s just part of it. He’s a young player. He’s only going to get better. So I think it’s still important to get him in there, but yeah, there’s certainly some room for improvement.”