There are a lot of strong feelings right now about what the Green Bay Packers should be doing at the guard position in 2026, since it seemed like the running game got better down the stretch when Aaron Banks got healthy, and Anthony Belton was inserted into the lineup. While Belton has his protection flaws, stressed more when he’s in space at tackle, he’d probably be the number one pick on the team if we were drafting purely off of “people moving ability.”
On Tuesday, with both Banks and Belton available
in team drills, the Packers still leaned on rookie fifth-round pick Jager Burton and third-year fifth-round pick Jacob Monk as their “starting” guards for the day. Monk has only started one game in his career, so he’s not much more experienced in live action than Burton, so last week’s showcase against the Pittsburgh Steelers was a big opportunity to see what the young duo could do.
So how did they perform? I’m going to let you guys watch the video yourselves.
Jager Burton
Jacob Monk (at guard)
Jacob Monk (at center)
While Monk got the start at left guard (typically where Banks had played in the past), he actually saw most of his action on the night at center — as starter Sean Rhyan was subbed out after just the first series of the game. Meanwhile, Monk remained in the lineup as a center (Donovan Jennings replaced him at right guard) with the second-team offense and early on with the third-team offense.
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So what do you guys think of how they played? For whatever it’s worth, Monk received a 59.5 grade (combined to include both guard and center snaps) from Pro Football Focus, while Burton earned a 51.3.
Let us know what your thoughts are on their performances in the comment section below.
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