Right before the regular season, head coach Matt LaFleur hadn't ruled out a scenario where Sean Rhyan and Jordan Morgan would rotate at right guard. That's exactly what happened in the Green Bay Packers preseason opener in Brazil against the Philadelphia Eagles. Rhyan was on the field for 42 offensive snaps (40 at RG and two at LG), while Morgan played 28 snaps (27 at RG, one as a sixth lineman).
That was a good opportunity for Jordan Morgan, a first-round rookie, to show what he's capable of even after missing a significant portion of training camp because of a shoulder injury. And don't be surprised if he takes over the starting job fairly soon.
Morgan had already overtaken Rhyan early in camp, but the injury made him miss practice time and the entire preseason. Therefore, the coaching staff opted to slow down his role, giving Rhyan the start in week 1.
Comparison
Sean Rhyan still played the majority of snaps, most of them at right guard. He played 26 pass block snaps, giving away a pressure where Jordan Love was hit. He finished the game with a 59.8 PFF grade, including 56.3 in run block and 65.5 in pass block. Rhyan also played the last two snaps of the game at left guard, because Elgton Jenkins had moved to center when Josh Myers left the game.
Jordan Morgan had most of his snaps at right guard, except one in which he played as a sixth offensive lineman. Of those 28 snaps, 19 were pass block plays, and he allowed one pressure (also a hit on Jordan Love). His pass grade was slightly worse than Rhyan's, 64.0, but he was significantly better in the run block (66.6). Overall, his offensive grade (67.7) was way better than the starter's.
Rhyan and Morgan also played seven special teams snaps each. Their performances were similar (61.1 to 61.0 in Morgan's favor).
Promising start
Even if he was a part-time player against the Eagles, Jordan Morgan did enough to make the list of best rookies of week 1 according to Pro Football Focus . He was the 15th best overall, and the sixth best offensive lineman in a class full of great ones.
“The 25th overall selection in the draft didn’t start the game for the Packers but played 27 snaps at right guard and another snap as a sixth offensive lineman. He earned PFF grades above 60.0 in pass protection and as a run blocker, allowing just one pressure from 19 pass-blocking snaps.”
Role
The Packers' offensive coaching staff had mentioned during training camp that Jordan Morgan would be a right guard early on. Maybe he can move around the line in the future, but that's not the plan for him as a rookie.
Sean Rhyan, on the other hand, can play elsewhere too — when they needed to adjust the line without Myers, it was Rhyan that moved to the left side.
Considering age, ceiling, and that Morgan already offers a solid baseline of play, it's fair to expect that the rookie will be a full-time starter soon. Then, the question will be how the rest of the offensive line will shake out.
Presumably, it will have Rasheed Walker - Elgton Jenkins - Josh Myers - Jordan Morgan - Zach Tom.
However, if the staff thinks Rhyan offers more than Myers , or that moving Jenkins to center is the way to go, they could adjust the offense to what it was in the final snaps against the Eagles, with Sean Rhyan - Elgton Jenkins - Jordan Morgan forming the interior of the offensive line.
Whichever the case may be, Jordan Morgan is ready to have an impact as a rookie. This will be imperative for the Packers to protect Jordan Love in the future — and right now, to overcome life without the starting quarterback for a couple of weeks.
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