The Packers’ offensive line took a serious hit in their 10-7 loss to the Eagles on Monday. Center Elgton Jenkins fractured his leg and suffered ligament damage when quarterback Jordan Love rolled into him. Jenkins is unlikely to return this season as a result.
With Jenkins out for the foreseeable future, the Packers will turn to Sean Rhyan as their new starter, per Wes Hodkiewicz of the team’s website. Rhyan stepped in for Jenkins in Week 10, played 41 snaps, and earned a grade of 61.1 from Pro Football Focus. That doesn’t fall far below Jenkins’ season grade of 62.0, which ranks 24th among 37 qualifying centers.
After Rhyan stood out as a left tackle at UCLA, the Packers used a third-round pick on him in 2022. The versatile 25-year-old has moved to the interior in the NFL.
While Rhyan was a 17-game starter at right guard last season, he has come off the bench in five of nine games this year. Jordan Morgan has taken over as the Packers’ right guard. Rhyan will now land another opportunity as a full-time starter, albeit under unfortunate circumstances.
This isn’t the first time Green Bay’s center position has gone through upheaval in 2025. After a successful run at guard, where he earned two Pro Bowl nods, Jenkins shifted to center to accommodate LG Aaron Banks. The Packers signed Banks, a former 49er, to a four-year, $77MM contract in free agency last offseason. With Jenkins sliding to center, the Packers let former starter Josh Myers leave for the Jets’ one-year, $3.5MM offer.
Jenkins is the only Packers O-lineman who has started all of their games this year, but they’ll now have to rely on Rhyan. He’ll join Morgan, Banks, and tackles Rasheed Walker and Zach Tom as starters against the Giants in Week 11.
Packers OL is bad. Tom is the only one that’s good.
Burned two first round picks and +100 million in FA for a train wreck team.
That is still 5-3-1. Some of you rubes should spend time with other forms of entertainment you may understand better.
They’re OL has talent they’re just massively under achieving this year. They’re OL coach is the one who’s bad
Honestly, I think the front office whiffed big time this offseason. Jenkins has been at the very least a plus level guard for a long time. So you move him to center, with the idea that he could be better than Myers was at 30 years old. Oops. And then you overpay Banks, who has never been a consistent plus level OG. Oops. And then you play Morgan inside, when he clearly is a better OT. Oops.
I don’t think these problems are fixable, this year, or next.
I’ve said it a few times-the Packers have gotten way too used to just moving Jenkins to some position instead of just adding a guy who plays that position instead. Jenkins is a great guard-or at least was, before this injury. They should have just let him play there. LaFleur is a good enough player-caller and schemer to elevate a lot of the talent, through injuries and otherwise-Gutekunst has taken that for granted over the years, in my mind.
Love and LaFleur have covered for some of the injuries along the o-line for the last few years by getting the ball out, building a quick route tree, and moving the quarterback, which deserves respect. That said, Gutekunst could have plugged some of those needs much better than just moving Jenkins every time someone got hurt or left.