The Green Bay Packers have a great core of young talented players thanks to the incredible drafting of general manager Brian Gutekunst over the last few years. While 2022 saw the team finish 8-9 while carrying a blend of young and aging players, 2023 saw them embrace the youth movement by moving on from key franchise players Aaron Rodgers, Mason Crosby, and Randall Cobb (among others).
This upcoming season, the Packers will be without more key names from previous rosters, notably running back Aaron Jones, left tackle David Bakhtiari, and safety Darnell Savage.
In order to replace these players, Green Bay turned to both free agency and the draft, signing the best running back on the market (Josh Jacobs) and the best safety (Xavier McKinney). Gutekunst also attacked the sudden lack of depth on the offensive line by drafting Jordan Morgan, Jacob Monk, and Travis Glover.
The big question, of course, is what will Green Bay’s starting lineup on both offense and defense look like come their Week One matchup against the Philadelphia Eagles in Brazil? One NFL analyst shared his prediction, and it leaves some questions unanswered.
The 2024 Green Bay Packers Starting Lineup Prediction
In an article in which he predicted the starting lineup for every team in the NFL, Bleacher Report‘s Alex Ballentine predicted that Green Bay’s starting lineup on offense and defense would be as follows:
Offense
- Quarterback- Jordan Love
- Running Back- Josh Jacobs
- Wide Receiver- Christian Watson
- Wide Receiver- Romeo Doubs
- Wide Receiver- Jayden Reed
- Tight End- Luke Musgrave
- Left Tackle- Rasheed Walker
- Left Guard- Elgton Jenkins
- Center- Josh Myers
- Right Guard- Sean Rhyan
- Right Tackle- Zach Tom
Defense
- Edge- Rashan Gary
- Defensive Tackle- Kenny Clark
- Defensive Tackle- Devonte Wyatt
- Edge- Preston Smith
- Linebacker- Quay Walker
- Linebacker- Edgerrin Cooper
- Cornerback- Jaire Alexander
- Cornerback- Eric Stokes
- Nickle Back- Keisean Nixon
- Safety- Xavier McKinney
- Safety- Javon Bullard
Two Big Questions About the Green Bay Packers Starting Lineup Prediction
In the article, Ballentine admits that first round pick Jordan Morgan could very well displace Rasheed Walker at right tackle. He states, as everyone who follows the Packers already knows, that Green Bay will play their best five offensive linemen.
Ballentine also suggests that second-year wide receiver Dontayvion Wicks could leap-frog Christian Watson and be the team’s go-to passing target.
However, the two biggest questions about the potential starting lineup are not mentioned in his article. Is Josh Myers guaranteed to start at center and will Sean Rhyan be the starting right guard.
As mentioned, the Packers will start their best five overall offensive linemen. Earlier reports from the offseason state that team sees Tom as a potential Hall of Fame center. However, he also played at a Pro Bowl level at right guard last season.
As for right guard, the starting job was previously held by Jon Runyan Jr., who signed with the New York Giants earlier this spring. A 2022 third round pick, Green Bay certainly hopes that he is good enough to start, but he was inconsistent at best during the times he did play last season.
Offensive line coach Luke Butkus recently said that they are going to cross train all of their linemen to play multiple positions. All of them, that is, except for Myers. For him, he’s either the starting center or he’s on the bench.
Going forward in offseason programs, the position battles on the offensive line are certainly going to be the most interesting to watch.
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