GREEN BAY – Elgton Jenkins is back, healthy and ready to be the linchpin the Packers have always felt he can be in the middle of their offensive line.
A back injury suffered during offseason training briefly delayed Green Bay's plans for the two-time Pro Bowler to make his highly anticipated move back to center, as Jenkins spent the first week of training camp on the non-football injury list.
However, Jenkins got the green light on Monday to rejoin his teammates for the first padded practice of training camp. Jenkins only performed individual drills, but that was enough latitude to snap to quarterback Jordan Love for the first time this summer.
"There was definitely some rust that had to be knocked off," said Jenkins after practice. "I'm about to get ins and outs of things, but I played it in college, got drafted here as a center. It's not going to be anything different."
Jenkins, the longest-tenured player on the offensive side of the ball, has been an everyman for Green Bay since the team drafted him in the second round out of Mississippi State in 2019.
A two-year starting center for the Bulldogs, Jenkins slid into left guard on the Packers' offensive line as a rookie while also making critical spot starts at left tackle, right tackle and center.
His efforts were rewarded in 2020 when Jenkins was voted to his first Pro Bowl, becoming just the third offensive lineman in team history to be named to the Pro Bowl within his first two seasons in the NFL (Deral Teteak, 1952; Charley Brock, 1940).
That same year, Jenkins stepped up in a pinch when All-Pro center Corey Linsley was sidelined for three games with a sprained MCL. Jenkins answered the bell, reminding everyone not only of his versatility but also his dependability at center.
His ability to do everything often has raised questions about where Jenkins fits best up front. Then, after years of talking about a possible move to his college position, Jenkins and the Packers revisited the possibility again after the 2024 season.
It's a move the 6-foot-5, 311-pound offensive lineman says he was fully in favor of doing, especially after four-year starter Josh Myers signed with the New York Jets in free agency.
"When they asked me, I was like, 'Yeah,' and they gave me some time to think on it," Jenkins said. "I talked to them again and I told them 'I'd do it.'"
Multiple factors played into Jenkins' openness to make the switch, including the Packers drafting Jordan Morgan in the first round in 2024. This summer, the former Arizona standout has been rotating at left tackle and both guard positions.
The other reality was Green Bay didn't have a center on the roster with NFL experience other than Jenkins. Former fifth-round pick Jacob Monk played center at Duke but didn't see an offensive snap during his rookie year.
With fifth-year veteran Aaron Banks filling his old post at left guard, Jenkins saw the upside in sliding over. Now 30, Jenkins believes he can play at an elite level for five, six years and center is the position that helped Jenkins gain the NFL's attention in the first place.
"I feel like the sky's the limit, honestly," Jenkins said. "I can be an All-Pro, Pro Bowl, same guy – probably even better, honestly. We're just going to see."
Jenkins didn't participate in the voluntary portion of the Packers' offseason program while dealing with some family matters. He reported for mandatory minicamp but was sidelined with the back.
Back on the field, Jenkins is eager to build chemistry not only with Love but also his fellow offensive linemen. After snapping sporadically the past few years, Jenkins feels honing in on his technique daily will take his game to another, elite level.
His fellow O-linemen couldn't be happier to have Jenkins back.
"It's nice having E out there," said fourth-year veteran Sean Rhyan, who started all 18 games for Green Bay at right guard last year but filled in at center throughout the offseason.
"He's a vet guy. He knows what he's doing. It just kind of feels like things flow – not that things don't flow regardless but just having (him) out there just makes things go a little bit easier."
There certainly could be some financial and contractual ramifications to playing center but Jenkins says he’s focused more on what lies ahead in 2025 than anything after the fact.
Healthy and rejuvenated, Jenkins is just excited to get back to work. He's been in Green Bay for seven years now – more than anyone on the roster besides defensive lineman Kenny Clark.
Having played in three NFC title games in five postseason appearances, Jenkins' goal is to help his team get over the hump.
"Right now, it's just being the best player I can be, being the best teammate," Jenkins said. "I know what I'm going to do this season. I'm confident in my ability, very confident in it. So just going out there playing ball, keep doing what I've been doing and it's going to take care of itself."
