I don’t think it was so much a lack of depth that hurt the OL in 2026, given that the starting C (Jenkins) was lost for the season and the unit still featured a former #1 pick (Morgan) in a back up role.

No, the bigger issue was that the OL just wasn’t very good.

Here’s hoping Morgan, in year 3, will finally prove worthy of his lofty draft status, Banks will begin earning the huge contract Gutey gave him, Rhyan will prove to be a better C than G, Belton makes a 2nd year leap, and Tom is healthy and regains his 2024 form.

For some that might seem like a lot of hopium, but with Butkus back to coach them up I’m sure most Packer fans are confident that the OL will be much improved in 2026.

I find it head scratching to read that the issue last year was lack of depth, since, with the exception of Tom and Banks, 3/5 of the currently projected line are the depth from last year at their expected current year positions. Morgan, Belton and Myers were depth at LT, C & RG last season. Some prepared, some frustratingly not until forced into roles.

The issues last year were injuries to Tom and Banks (and one could speculate Glover as the then seeming back up RT) and poor positional assessments and resulting preparation by Butkus and Stenavich.

Hopefully Tom, Banks and Glover will be healthy this fall. Hopefully Kinnard is played as a G not a T and Burton is ready and capable or other depth emerges from a fairly interesting but unfamiliar group competing behind the starters. Unfortunately, Butkus and Stenavich are unchanged, so more missteps there are to be expected based on their track record since promotion.

"Yet, the true fulcrum of the team’s championship aspirations lies somewhere much less glamorous: the offensive line."

Couldn't agree more Cory. Last season, especially that 2nd half in the playoff loss to the Bears the O-Line was brutal. Until this O-Line SHOWS they can protect Love and actually open a hole for Jacobs so he's not getting smashed two yards BEHIND the LOS every run play, this team will go as the O-Line goes.

Lets hope Gutes draft picks start pay off. One thing for sure is he's NO Ted Thompson when it comes to the O-Line. Maybe Morgan, Belton, Tom, and Burton will start to change things. They have the talent. Do they have the COACHING?

Hmmm...I'm not so sure.

"...swing tackle Darian Kinnard..."

That statement is my biggest concern in a bunch of concerns about the OL. Kinnard is a better guard than tackle and yet it seems he is the designated swing tackle behind Morgan and Tom. With Morgan starting at LT for the first time in the pros and Ton recovering from a serious injury, the Packers need talented depth behind them and I have serious concerns Kinnard is that guy. I hope Lucas Glover can return from injury and make a big jump or Gute finds someone else at cut down time because Kinnard could be a weak link at swing tackle.

My second biggest concern with the OL is not the players, but the coaching staff. I do not care for their musical chairs approach to OL development (I think they have hindered Morgan's development) and I really am not convinced about their ability to evaluate player talent. Butkus and company need to show more than they have in the past for the Packer OL to succeed this year.

I still have a concern about Morgan. Given the opportunity to win the left tackle job he didn't. What has changed other than the position is open? I've wondered if Belton isn't better there. He was a LT in college. Not much has been said about Zach Tom. Is he going to be rusty after a lot of time missed?

Banks was hurt much of last year. Rhyan is learning the job.

Still much to be discovered.

It all starts upfront. If the big boys do not play well the offense will not play well.

WE have Too many injury prone players.
(PFF) projects the Green Bay Packers' offensive line
as the 27th-ranked unit in the NFL,
earning an overall offensive line grade of 66.2.
(Down from the 19th rating last year)
Maintaining the exact same five starters
for the entire year is just wishful thinking.
They're not elite and neither is the depth.
Last year everything back fired.
The recalibration will still struggle,
with consistency, run-blocking, and penalties.
This youth movement and transition phase,
is a big change from last year.
And the person responsible caused the defect.
Expecting a phenomenal outcome; just isn't how
you project success.

The consistent failures all across the line would suggest either a lack of talent or a lack of coaching. Giving whoever is responsible a raise is’n’t going to fix the problem.

Butkus was overheard saying 'he couldn't do much with this group'-Butkus isn't a star either.
Gutekunst cannot build either Line. Why would the same players be offering large-scale hope this year?

Somewhere deep in the bowels of 1265, you have to imagine someone is trying to make building an impenetrable wall from day one of camp a negotiable.

We’ve agonized a lot about whether certain players will live up to draft status/contract or recover from injury. In my view the same question could be posed equally validly about key coaches on offense. Lots of returning individuals on field and off who have not lived up to billing that will have to if this year isn’t to be a train wreck.

Please, no platooning this year.

I thought Monk was out with injury? Is he expected to be able to play at the beginning of TC?

The thesis presented here is too simplistic. Without getting into all the nuts and bolts of the OL, sure it has to improve, both individually and collectively. But the Packers have had very good units going back 15 years and it still wasn't enough sometimes. Football games can be won or lost on the field with any position group or on the sidelines with the coaching decisions that are made. For example, what about the other side of the trenches? As the Ravens showed by running roughshod over us, a vulnerable defensive line will do us in just as much as an inefffective OL...There are many formulas for a deep playoff run, but the complete teams with the fewest glaring weaknesses are the ones the generally end up on top.

Not just last year, but going back even further, we end every season with OL backups on the field in the playoffs. No Tom, No Jenkins. No Bakhtiari. Every year.

The five starters should be fine. Morgan played more snaps than just about anybody at four different positions last year, and now he can focus on the one he was drafted for. Banks is a solid veteran who will hopefully be able to practice in training camp. Rhyan has had the benefit of some time at center and an offseason to focus on it. Belton could make a big jump in his second year, and Tom is as good as RTs get. If this unit gets to practice and play together, they're going to do fine. We'll also have Kraft, who's a pretty good blocker.

The problem is that it's going to be somebody else. It's going to be Burton or Monk or Kinnard or somebody. And that's where I think the wheels start coming off. I'm really hoping that we make a move to get a more reliable offensive lineman because he'll probably be on the field in the playoffs.