If there is one thing that the Green Bay Packers have excelled at in recent seasons it has been developing offensive linemen. Whether they were a late-round draft pick or undrafted free agent, Green Bay has found players that can step into the lineup and produce.
The Packers have only three offensive linemen who were even selected before Day 3 on their roster; Sean Ryhan, Josh Myers and Elgton Jenkins, who were third, second and second-round picks in 2022, 2021 and 2019. Two of them, Yosh Nijman and Caleb Jones, were undrafted.
Nijman is someone that the Packers have relied heavily upon in recent seasons. He appeared in all 16 games as a rookie, playing mostly on special teams. In his second year in the NFL, he started eight games while appearing in all 17. In 2022, he was the starting right tackle, appearing in all 17 games once again and starting 13.
This offseason, he was in a battle for the starting spot once again. Three players were competing for two spots as Myers and Zach Tom were also involved. Tom, a fourth-round pick in 2022, was going to be a starter; it was just a matter of which spot he would slide into.
Ultimately, the coaching staff opted to stick with Tom at right tackle and Myers at center. That has relegated Nijman to the bench, where he has been surpassed by another 2022 draft pick, seventh-rounder Rasheed Walker.
Set to hit the open market in 2024, Nijman is someone that should draw a lot of interest. In the opinion of Matt Holder of Bleacher Report, the New York Jets are a team that could look to sign him to a deal.
“Yosh Nijman is not just a name to watch in 2024 free agency, he’s also someone the Jets might want to consider targeting ahead of the trade deadline this season.
The 27-year-old has 21 starts over the last two seasons for the Packers after joining the team as an undrafted free agent in 2020.
Due to David Bakhtiari’s injuries, Nijman has shown the ability to play both right and left tackle. But with Bakhtiari healthy and Zach Tom winning the job at right tackle, the Packers have demoted Nijman back to swing tackle. His experience in protecting Aaron Rodgers could pave the way for a stint in New York.”
The Jets offensive line has been underwhelming thus far in 2023, which isn’t all too surprising. They were taking some major risks and none of them have played out in their favor.
If they want to get a look at how Nijman looks before his contract is up, making a trade for him does make sense. Given how much depth the Packers have, a mid or late-round draft pick would probably be enough to get a deal done.
