Paul Bretl | 3/31/2025
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Not surprisingly, Elgton Jenkins is going to be the Packers’ new starting center for the 2025 season, GM Brian Gutekunst confirmed on Monday at the NFL league meetings.
“We had plenty of conversations with Elgton leading up to it and obviously he played center in college,” Gutekunst said. “We feel he’s got a chance to be an All-Pro center.”
Hit like and subscribe to my YouTube Channel ‘The Paul Bretl Show’ for more Packers coverage.
The move from left guard to center is sparked by the addition of Aaron Banks in free agency. Banks played left guard during his time in San Francisco, and with Josh Myers signing with the New York Jets in free agency, Jenkins was a natural fit to fill the void at center.
During his time at Mississippi State, Jenkins was the starting center for his final two seasons, playing over 1,700 snaps at that position. In the NFL with the Packers, Jenkins has played 369 total snaps at center, 297 of which came in 2020, although he did start one game there last season when Myers was sidelined.
“We’ve talked about it a lot, how versatility plays into our offensive line and having guys that can move to different spots, and Elgton’s one of those guys who can play all five spots, so he’s a luxury, but I’m excited to see what he can do at center, as well,” Gutekunst added.
Beyond what takes place after the ball is snapped as a run blocker and pass protector, there is additional work that is on the center’s plate pre-snap. This includes identifying how the defense is aligned and communicating any protection changes that have to be made.
There may be some adjustments when it comes to footwork and blocking responsibilities, but overall for Jenkins, as he described prior to the Packers’ Week 9 matchup last season against Detroit, he doesn’t see the move from guard to center as a difficult transition.
“I don’t think so,” said Jenkins last season about the transition from guard to center being a difficult one. “You’ve got to go out there and do your job. It’s not like something that I haven’t played before, so being able to go out there, communicate, get everybody on the same page. I’m familiar with the offense, so it’s really just the fundamentals and things like that.”
The Packers were one of the better pass-blocking units in the NFL last season, ranking seventh in ESPN’s pass-block win rate metric. Jordan Love also ranked 23rd in pressure rate despite being blitzed at the highest rate during the regular season.
However, if there is an area of opportunity for the Packers’ offensive line to grow, it comes in the run game, specifically in the offense’s ability to generate explosive runs. Josh Jacobs would rank 32nd last season in PFF’s breakaway rate, which measures how often a back rushed for 15 or more yards. Helping Jacobs generate more big plays will be the offensive line getting him cleanly to the second level more often.
“I think we have the potential to be,” said Gutekunst about being a better running team. “At the same time, those five guys got to work in concert and there’s a lot of work that has to be done before you ever get to that point. Every year’s a different year. These guys have to put in the work and come together as a unit, but I think we have the potential to be that.”
The addition of Banks and Jenkins moving to center could also provide the Packers with more flexibility when it comes to where Jordan Morgan competes for playing time. He could, again, compete with Sean Rhyan at right guard or potentially, there is the flexibility to get him some left tackle snaps if that’s deemed necessary.
“I think just like last year, he’ll take reps in multiple spots, but he’ll certainly get a shot there,” Gutekunst said of Morgan.