GREEN BAY – It can no longer be considered a surprise if rookie Jager Burton starts on the Packers' offensive line come Week 1.
With training camp now three weeks old, the fifth-round draft pick continues to take snaps with the first unit at left guard while Aaron Banks deals with a knee injury. Banks has been practicing off and on but doing individual drills only, has yet to participate in 11-on-11, and there's been no timeline divulged for his return to full duty.
But filling in for Banks isn't necessarily Burton's only route to the starting lineup.
Because with Jacob Monk having assumed the bulk of the first-team snaps at right guard, and Anthony Belton now getting most of his work at tackle, another subtle competition could be taking place: Monk vs. Burton for the second guard spot once Banks is back in action.
Head Coach Matt LaFleur said last week Burton is making decisions "extremely difficult" up front in the midst of Banks' injury. So it stands to reason if there's any consideration being given to start him over Banks, he's being compared to Monk, too.
However it shakes out, Burton is squarely in a mix that includes three certain starters in center Sean Rhyan and tackles Jordan Morgan and Zach Bako-Bewele. By all accounts, he's fit in well with the current group, and he keeps his ears open for any advice they're willing to impart.
"I just kind of keep my head down and find one thing a day to get better at," Burton said. "That's (what) Banks, Sean, Jordan, all those guys, Zach … That's a big thing they harp on over and over again of being a young guy coming into the league."
Age-wise, Burton isn't as young as many rookie draft picks. He'll turn 24 in a week following five years at Kentucky, where he started 47 games across all three interior line positions. At 6-4, 312, Burton came in with NFL size, and the edge to his game was evident from the jump.
On the first day of training camp, in the first round of individual drills, Burton felt something in his leg and immediately left the field limping with a trainer, visibly upset. Having to miss one rep let alone the rest of practice did not sit well.
Fortunately, the injury wasn't a big deal and he was back within a couple of days, resuming the work he began in the spring taking first-team snaps for Banks.
"Yeah, there's always that stress, especially as a rookie," he said of his emotional reaction to exiting the first practice. "You have OTAs, but really training camp is really where you can push for the roster spot, push for whatever you're chasing.
"It was a bummer to me just because I've been very blessed (turning to knock on the wood frame of his locker) in terms of stuff like that, and for the first day, first period, to have something like that happen, I was really frustrated. I'm happy it wasn't anything serious, and I'm back out there feeling 100%."
If there was a plus to observing a couple of practices, it was the opportunity to talk to Banks and ask him questions during the workout about what he was seeing and how he'd process the defensive looks being presented.
Combine that with the constant communication from Rhyan in the middle when he was lining up next to him again, and Burton's learning curve accelerated rapidly, especially after the pads went on and practices ramped up in intensity.
"They're so locked in," Burton said of the vets on the O-line. "Sean's always going to tell me if there's pressure backside coming. If he sees it, he's going to tell me. Stuff like that is new to me coming out of college, and it does help a lot.
"I hear him make a call, and I can ask him why he's doing that."
The other mental part is absorbing what Burton admits is a "huge" playbook, and he credits the offensive coaches with helping him make steady progress there.
Burton played 36 snaps in the preseason opener last week in Pittsburgh, putting together a solid showing, but he was far from satisfied. There's a bit of a perfectionist streak in him that, so far anyway, seems to serve him well and keep him both grounded and grinding.
"I think there's plenty to work on. Always, for me, it's the consistency," he said. "When I do it right it looks good, just like anybody else, but finding a way for that to be every time, my best every time, is really what this game is all about. It's kind of chasing ghosts getting there because it's probably never going to happen, but you want to get as close to that as possible."
If Burton is able to crack the opening-day starting lineup, he'd be the first Packers rookie offensive lineman to do so in five years. Back in 2021, draft picks Josh Myers and Royce Newman both started Week 1.
That achievement isn't the be-all, end-all for a promising prospect with his entire career in front of him, but Burton is aware it's on the table. It's practically a given he'll be starting at some point. It's just a question of when, and that could come sooner than later.
"I mean, I'm not going to sit and lie, that's everyone's goal here," Burton said. "You want to be on the field. It's a different thing being on the field vs. not. But at the end of the day, I'm going to do whatever helps win the Packers football games. So whatever role that is I'm excited for it."
