The Green Bay Packers have legitimate question marks on the right side of their offensive line, but Pro Football Focus still believes the group is one of the top five in football.
PFF ranked the Packers offensive line at No. 4 in the NFL, trailing only the Indianapolis Colts, New Orleans Saints and Dallas Cowboys.
The Packers return four of five starters from last year’s offensive line, including three high-end starters. Only veteran right tackle Bryan Bulaga departed. GM Brian Gutekunst replaced Bulaga, one of the NFL’s best right tackles, with Rick Wagner, a long-time starter for the Baltimore Ravens and Detroit Lions, but Wagner is coming off a disappointing final season in Detroit.
Joining Wagner as a likely starter on the right side is Billy Turner, a free-agent acquisition of the Packers in 2019 who struggled for much of his first season in Green Bay. He gave up a team-high six sacks and 45 total pressures over 16 games. However, the Packers retained veteran Lane Taylor, who missed most of last season but could compete with Turner at right guard or give the Packers another quality option should Turner need to play right tackle.
The other three starters are all solid. All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari returns for an important contract year, second-year left guard Elgton Jenkins is charting a Pro Bowl path to start his career and Corey Linsley, who is also entering a contract year, has been one of the NFL’s most steady centers.
If the Packers can get a bounce-back year from Wagner at right tackle and even slight improvement at right guard from either Turner or Taylor, the offensive line really should be one of the NFL’s best, especially in pass protection. Bakhtiari is the gold standard in blind-side protection, and Jenkins is emerging as one of the game’s best young guards.
Depth is a bigger concern, especially at tackle. The Packers have next to nothing in terms of experience behind the presumed starters, with Alex Light, John Leglue and Yosh Nijman among those expected to compete to be the No. 3 tackle.
