Elgton Jenkins, Aaron Banks Not Only Potential Changes to Packers’ Offensive Line

The Green Bay Packers will have a new left guard after signing Aaron Banks. They’ll have a new center, general manager Brian Gutekunst confirmed on Monday, with Elgton Jenkins moving from left guard.

Could they have a new left tackle, too?

Maybe.

Last year’s first-round pick, Jordan Morgan, “certainly (will) will get a shot there,” Gutekunst told reporters at the NFL owners meetings in Palm Beach, Fla.

Morgan was a 34-game starter at left tackle at Arizona. He worked some at left tackle during his rookie training camp but most of his reps came at right guard. During his six regular-season appearances, he played 120 snaps in a timeshare with right guard Sean Rhyan and 65 snaps at left guard in his first career start when Jenkins replaced injured Josh Myers at center against Detroit.

The Detroit game was his last one of the year. Troubled by a shoulder injury throughout training camp – he didn’t play in the three preseason games – Morgan missed the rest of the season following shoulder surgery.

Walker, a seventh-round pick in 2022, has been a capable starter since replacing David Bakhtiari. He started the final 15 games in place of Bakhtiari in 2023 and all 17 games in 2024. He allowed six sacks in 2023 but only three in 2024, according to Pro Football Focus.

Last season, he was guilty of 10 penalties, including six for holding. Six of those penalties, including four holding infractions, came during the first three games.

During an eight-game stretch beginning with the Week 8 win at Jacksonville, he allowed zero sacks, a total of 11 pressures and was penalized twice – including none for holding.

Looking ahead, Walker not only will have to work to beat out Morgan but he’ll have to work to earn a new contract as he enters the final year of his rookie deal.

“I think Rasheed’s done a lot of really, really good things for us,” Gutekunst said. “I don’t think he necessarily needs to show anything. Like anything, you’ve got to continue to play at a high level. We’re going to have a lot of competition there – not just at his spot, but all across the offensive line.

“We’ve got guys like Jordan Morgan, who I think is going to really emerge. It will be good to see that competition and we’ll be better for it.”

Meanwhile, Gutekunst made official what had been perfectly obvious: Jenkins, a Pro Bowler in 2020 and 2022, would be moving to center to accommodate the big-money addition of Banks.

Jenkins was the starting center during his final two seasons at Mississippi State in 2017 and 2018. With the Packers, he played 297 snaps of center in 2020 and 72 snaps last season.

“We feel he’s got a chance to be an All-Pro center,” Gutekunst said. “We’ve talked about it a lot, how versatility plays into our offensive line and having guys that can move to different spots, and Elgton’s one of those guys who can play all five spots.

“So, he’s a luxury. I’m excited to see what he can do at center, as well.”

In a huge move aimed at strengthening the team’s line to better compete against the NFL’s top defenses, Gutekunst opted to sign Banks, move Jenkins and not re-sign Myers.

Banks is a very big man who was given a very big contract. While never emerging as a Pro Bowl-caliber player in four seasons with the 49ers, Banks was given a four-year contract worth $77 million in free agency. The $19.25 million average makes him the sixth-highest-paid guard in the NFL.

A second-round pick out of Notre Dame in 2021, Banks started 43 games the past three seasons. He missed three games in 2023 and four games in 2024.

“Obviously, a really large man that can do all the things that Matt (LaFleur) asks those guys to do in our scheme as far as our ability to get off the ball quickly, get out in space and really run,” Gutekunst said.

“Again, this isn’t a 295-pound man. This is a 330-pound man. His ability to play physical in the run game and anchor down in the pass pro is something where he’s played at a high level for a few years now. To get a guy like that really in the prime of his career is something I thought would really benefit us.”