Leaner Lane Taylor takes guard competition in stride

Lane Taylor, the starter the past three years, has to beat out second-round pick Elgton Jenkins.

The day before the preseason opener, Lane Taylor got the news.

Starting in that Thursday’s game against Houston, he’d have to hold off rookie Elgton Jenkins for the starting job at left guard.

With 47 career starts under his belt, Taylor could have taken offense. Instead, the former undrafted free agent went out and did what he’s always done.

Work.

“Honestly, it’s part of the business,” Taylor said on Tuesday, a couple days before presumably starting the third preseason game at Winnipeg against the Raiders on Thursday night. “You’re never going to go through this thing without competition, really, no matter who you are. I clawed my way to get to where I’m at now, so it’s nothing new for me.”

A two-year starting center at Mississippi State, Jenkins was the Packers’ second-round pick. He was hand-picked by general manager Brian Gutekunst to play guard in coach Matt LaFleur’s zone scheme. Taylor, of course, was not. Moreover, dogged by an ankle injury, Taylor was coming off the worst season of his three years in the starting lineup.

That meant Taylor entered training camp with something to prove – which is why he’s fighting for his job. He’s started both preseason games but was one of only a couple starters to play against Houston and he split series with Jenkins to start last week’s game against Baltimore.

“We all needed to prove it, really,” Taylor said. “It’s a totally different system from what we ran before. I think we’ve all leaned up a little bit, running more to prove we could run this system.”

By the start of the season, Taylor figures he’ll be around 320 pounds – which would be 10 or 15 pounds less than he played last season. Being a bit more nimble has helped Taylor make the transition to a scheme that covets athleticism more than brute force.

“I think I’ve done good. I don’t think I’m out of this place in this scheme at all. I can fit in any scheme, really,” Taylor said.

With plenty of starting experience, Taylor is confident in his abilities. It’s that confidence that helped Taylor take the news of the left guard competition in relative stride. He has two years left on a three-year, $16.5 million extension inked before the 2017 opener. For this year, the Packers have already paid out $1 million in bonuses; his base salary is $2.6 million for 2019 and $3.8 million for 2020.

“Obviously, it’s not the most exciting thing to ever hear in the world but, on the other hand, you’ve got to earn your spot,” Taylor said. “To tell you the truth, when it really comes down to it, you take all the emotions out of it and all of that stuff, you’ve got to earn your spot.”

Taylor had to earn his spot in 2013 as an undrafted free agent out of Oklahoma State. At the time, he learned from the likes of veteran guards Josh Sitton and T.J. Lang. Two years later, with the 2016 regular season about to start, the Packers cut Sitton and handed the job to Taylor.

Fast forward a few years, and there was Taylor sitting next to Jenkins, iPad in hand, helping the rookie who might have Taylor packing his bags in about 10 days.

“We don’t sabotage each other or keep them down or anything. We help each other out,” Taylor said. “I think it’s just kind of the brotherhood of offensive line, how we’re wired, structured. It’s just kind of how we operate.”