Green Bay Packers: 5 Players to watch in Preseason Week 2 vs. Ravens
By Joe Kipp
5. Lane Taylor/Elgton Jenkins, OG
Perhaps the biggest ongoing positional battle on the entire Packers roster is for the starting left guard role, which is why we included two players for this spot. Veteran guard Lane Taylor has locked down the position as the starter for the past three seasons, but a decline in play in 2018 caused general manager Brian Gutekunst to seek help in the form of rookie Elgton Jenkins.
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Jenkins, a second-round pick in this year’s draft, was impressive in his NFL debut against the Texans. He played a team-high 45 snaps on offense and was graded out as Pro Football Focus’ No. 1 pass-blocking offensive lineman in Preseason Week 1. Meanwhile, Taylor played just 16 snaps against Houston.
Asked after the game if the left guard spot is an ongoing competition, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur stated the job is up for grabs between Jenkins and Taylor. At the current moment, it appears Jenkins is right on the heels of stealing Taylor’s job, and could even be the favorite to be the starter after Preseason Week 2.
If the Packers elect to move forward with Jenkins as the starter, it wouldn’t be surprising to see the team cut bait with Taylor before the season starts. Taylor’s release would carry only $1.25 million in dead cap space and would save the Packers roughly $4.5 million in cap room. Taylor is entering the last year of his current deal.