Confirming what general manager Brian Gutekunst first suggested, Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur said two-year starter Rasheed Walker and 2024 first-round pick Jordan Morgan will compete to start at left tackle in 2025.
LaFleur is hoping the competition between the two will push both players to be better.
"It’s going to be a great competition. (Morgan) and ‘Sheed are going to battle it out and hopefully push each other to be that much better," LaFleur said from the Annual League Meeting in Florida on Tuesday, via Jason Wilde of Channel 3000. "Certainly, it’s something we feel like (Morgan) can do. Otherwise, we wouldn’t do it. So we’ll let them battle it out and see where it goes.”
On Monday, Gutekunst said the Packers are expecting Morgan to "emerge" as a second-year player and "get a shot" to compete at left tackle in 2025.
Walker, a 2022 seventh-round pick, has started 32 games at left tackle over the last two seasons, including all 17 games in 2024. Morgan, a collegiate left tackle at Arizona, made appearances at right guard and left guard across only six games as a rookie last season, but the Packers have maintained they believe he can handle playing tackle.
Walker could be difficult to dethrone as the starter at left tackle, given his ability as a pass protector and consistent improvement over two years as a starter. But it's possible more than just quality of play is in play in this competition -- Walker is entering a contract year, and the Packers may not love the idea of paying both Walker and right tackle Zach Tom big deals after signing new left guard Aaron Banks to a top-of-the-market deal in free agency.
If Walker continues to improve and wins the job outright, the Packers may have to consider paying him to stay. If Morgan wins the job, the Packers would have a cost-controlled option at left tackle and could let Walker depart in free agency next spring.
If Morgan isn't the left tackle, he'll be expected to compete to start at right guard with Sean Rhyan, who is also entering a contract year.
According to Pro Football Focus, Walker allowed three sacks, four quarterback hits and 37 total pressures while committing nine penalties across 1,139 total snaps last season, including the postseason. He ranked 33rd in overall grade and 17th in pass-blocking grade among all offensive tackles -- meaning both left and right tackles -- with at least 600 snaps played in 2024. In 2023, he ranked 37th overall and 20th in pass blocking. Walker improved in both sacks allowed, overall grade and penalties committed as a second-year starter.
Morgan played over 2,000 career snaps at left tackle while at Arizona. He gave up only three sacks and 30 total pressures over his final two collegiate seasons. Morgan ranked as the sixth best offensive tackle by overall grade and seventh in pass blocking in 2023 and sixth overall and 13th in pass blocking in 2022 -- highlighting his impressive two-year run as one of the best offensive tackles in college football.
Last season, Morgan suffered three different shoulder injuries before needing season-ending surgery to fix the issue.
Morgan doesn't have prototypical length for an NFL offensive tackle, so many viewed him as a guard prospect. The Packers believe he has the athleticism and power to make up for any lack of length at left tackle, but Morgan also competed primarily at guard as a first-year player, so the team clearly saw a more obvious path to the field for him ...
