There has been plenty to discuss when it comes to the Green Bay Packers offensive line during training camp, whether it is the battle to start at right guard or Jordan Morgan’s acclimation to becoming the starting left tackle.
With so much to track, center Sean Rhyan has gone somewhat under the radar, and that seems like a good thing.
Rhyan took over as Green Bay’s center midway through last season after Elgton Jenkins suffered an injury which knocked him out for the year.
A fourth-year player at the time, Rhyan had never been able to fully nail down a starting spot at guard despite being a regular part of the competition and rotation on the interior.
The move to center offered an opportunity to change the course of his career, and although there
were certainly some ups and downs, Rhyan’s progress as the season wore on was enough to convince the Packers he was the answer moving forward.
Rhyan went from potentially on his way out of Green Bay at the end of his rookie contract and looking to latch on somewhere with a chance to compete, to signing a three-year, $33 million contract to be the starting center for the foreseeable future.
This summer, Rhyan has benefitted from focusing solely on center and looks to have settled in.
It has been rare to hear his name in a negative sense during practice reports, where he has also fared well in one-on-ones, and he has quietly gone about his job in limited preseason action.
Green Bay’s key figures all recognize the growth Rhyan has shown, not only since the middle of last season, but from the 21-year-old who was picked in the third round back in 2022.
Head coach Matt LaFleur said: “It’s been really cool to watch his progression, and one thing I’ve always really respected about Sean is he takes full accountability for everything, even probably to a fault.
“When you have that mindset, that’s when you get better. Football is an imperfect game, there’s going to be mistakes, and the guys that own it and just keep it moving and learn from it, typically end up becoming better football players, and that’s exactly the approach he’s taken."
The relationship between a center and his quarterback is obviously crucial, not just in terms of snapping the ball cleanly and keeping the franchise player upright, but also in setting protections and running the show at the line of scrimmage.
Jordan Love has been able to build up a rapport with Rhyan which he hopes will carry into the regular season.
He said of Rhyan: “He’s the one making all those initial calls and he’s done a good job making sure guys are on the same page up front, with the run game, with the pass game. We know Sean’s gonna bring that physicality out there which you love to see."
Love continued: “He’s grown tremendously, just his understanding of our offense and technique-wise. Since he got here as a rookie, he’s put in a lot of work and you can see he’s definitely grown, he’s a much different player from when he got here."
The proof of whether Rhyan was worth keeping around and extending will ultimately come in the regular season, but he has ticked all the boxes along the way during the summer.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Packers C Sean Rhyan enjoys quietly strong camp: 'He's grown tremendously'
