Paul Bretl | 8/31/2024
GREEN BAY, Wis. — A big decision looms for the Packers ahead of their Week 1 matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles as they need to decide who their starting right guard is going to be–Sean Rhyan or rookie Jordan Morgan.
“We’ll see,” said offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich when asked if Rhyan was going to start. “Jordan’s coming along in practice and stuff so we’re just kinda taking that situation day to day and seeing what happens there.”
If you asked the Packers coaching staff about the right guard position during training camp, there was a competition between Rhyan and Morgan taking place. However, from the outside looking in, that didn’t appear to be much of a competition. Morgan took all of the starting right guard snaps while Rhyan was bounced around between the first and second units, asked to play both guard positions along with center.
But an unfortunate shoulder injury to Morgan would sideline him the last several weeks of training camp, which included missing all three preseason games and some extremely valuable reps for an incoming rookie playing a new position.
We often hear about the learning curve that comes with making the jump from college to the NFL, referencing the play speed, the stronger, faster opponents, along with learning a new playbooks. Not only is Morgan making that leap, but he’s also going from playing only tackle to now being asked to play guard and from lining up on the left side of the offensive line to the right side.
“It’s footwork,” said Morgan about playing right guard. “But it’s also just like hand placement. Everything happens quicker on the inside, so it’s just about getting out there quicker and understanding that things are going to come at you fast and you’ve just got to react quicker.”
Like any rookie making a position change, Morgan battled ups and downs when on the practice field, but with each passing practice he was beginning to settle in before the injury. As Matt LaFleur said a few weeks ago, Morgan needs reps right now, so the right guard position, and all the movement and responsibilities that come with that, becomes second nature for him and there is less thinking.
If Morgan gets the start against Philadelphia, it will be quite the ‘welcome to the NFL’ moment for him, against an Eagles interior defensive line made up of Jordan Davis, and Jalen Carter. Out of 129 eligible interior defenders last season, Carter ranked 14th in total pressures while Davis would rank 34th in PFF’s run-stop rate metric.
Rhyan doesn’t have the upside that Morgan does, but in a one-game sample size, there is something to be said for the game experience he has and the stability he can provide in largely knowing what Rhyan is going to give you. Starting Morgan comes with a hefty unknown with this being his first live game action at the NFL level.
In 42 pass-blocking snaps over two preseason games, Rhyan surrendered only one pressure, according to PFF. Run-blocking is where he has been at his best as a heavy-handed people mover along the interior.
LaFleur mentioned before the team’s joint practice with Denver that Rhyan showcases the play-style they want to see up front, but it’s the down-to-down consistency that has been lacking with LaFleur noting at that time the need for Rhyan to improve his conditioning. However, since then, LaFleur is happy with the strides Rhyan has made and overall thought that he put together a strong training camp.
“I do think Sean’s had an outstanding training camp,” said LaFleur after the final preseason game. “He’s gotten better and better and better, and one of the things we’re looking for in regards to the stamina to play four quarters and put it together, I think he’s gotten better with that.”
An outside of the box option for the Packers, and something we saw them do during the second half of last season, would be a rotation at right guard with both Morgan and Rhyan seeing snaps. This could give the Packers a best of both worlds option, providing Rhyan with some series off to stay fresh, while allowing Morgan to get acclimated to live NFL game action.
Beginning in Week 9 last season, we saw Rhyan rotating at right guard with Jon Runyan, along with Yosh Nijman and Rasheed Walker rotating at left tackle. The coaching staff spoke highly of how these competitions helped elevate the play of the entire unit.
“Ah, like where you’re going,” said LaFleur when asked about rotating Rhyan and Morgan. “Who knows? It could be, really everything’s up for discussion right now.”
The Packers still have a few practices remaining to continue evaluating Rhyan, Morgan and what the best option is, before needing to determine who will start and they will use all of that time on the field to make a decision–one that LaFleur called a difficult one.