Paul Bretl | 9/2/2025
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Late last week, Matt LaFleur wasn’t ready to announce who the Packers’ starting left tackle would be in their season opener against Detroit.
“We shall see next week,” LaFleur said. On a follow-up question, LaFleur repeated the same answer.
However, Rasheed Walker was much more forthcoming with that information. While at his locker following Monday’s practice, Walker was asked if he’d be starting against Detroit, but rather than providing a LaFleur-like answer to the question, Walker was direct: “Yes,” he will be starting at left tackle.
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Walker and Jordan Morgan competing for those starting left tackle snaps was one of the few true competitions that the Packers had this summer.
In the early going of training camp, while Elgton Jenkins was on the non-football injury list, Morgan’s playing time came at guard, which left Walker to take really all of the first-team left tackle reps.
However, a groin injury would sideline Walker for a few weeks. He missed the Packers’ family night scrimmage and didn’t return to the practice field in full until the final week of the preseason.
Once back on the practice field, Walker again took the bulk of the left tackle snaps, while Morgan filled in at left guard for Aaron Banks that final week.
While Walker found himself in the midst of a competition at left tackle, it’s not as if he’s performed poorly for the Packers. Not to say that there isn’t room for growth, but overall, Walker has provided Green Bay with a steady presence at one of the game’s most important positions, which includes him making 34 starts over the previous two seasons.
“Shoot, I feel like it’s my job,” Walker said when asked how he feels about getting the start. “I’m going to go out there and handle my business and put my team in the best position to win. I’m going to do my part and I feel like we’re all going to be ready to play.”
The Packers’ coaching staff was very complimentary of Morgan and what they saw from him this summer, especially in his preseason appearances. However, Morgan is still an inexperienced player, and there is something to be said for the reliability that Walker brings and knowing what you’re going to get from him.
“I think any time we make a decision,” LaFleur said, “it’s who do we feel most comfortable that’s going to go out there and compete to the best of their ability and help us win. It always comes down to that. Thankfully we feel good about a couple options.”
Morgan coming off the bench does give the Packers more flexibility than Walker would. Walker is only going to fill in at tackle, while Morgan can play both tackle and guard. So, in terms of maintaining continuity up front, if an injury does occur, there will be less movement involved if Morgan has to be inserted into the lineup vs. Walker.
With that said, I still wouldn’t rule out the Packers rotating Walker and Morgan at left tackle this season, which is something we’ve seen often in the past from the Packers. This includes Walker and Yosh Nijman rotating at left tackle in 2023, Jon Runyan and Sean Rhyan rotating at right guard that same season, and then Rhyan and Morgan doing the same in 2024.
LaFleur hasn’t ruled out that possibility either.
“I think sometimes it can be good, certainly in terms of just the urgency of playing every play at a high level,” LaFleur said of rotating on the offensive line last week. “I think it just naturally ups that, but — and I think also it’s just like a lot of D-linemen, most teams rotate their D-linemen and so you can kind of wear down an offensive line if it’s just fresh people rolling at ’em all the time, so there is some good that comes with rotating guys up front.
“The one thing that is always a concern is the continuity factor in terms of how those guys are working those combination blocks or getting off the ball together.”