Early Signs Point to Major Role for Rookie Jager Burton With Packers

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Perhaps no player has done a better job of taking advantage of his opportunities during the offseason practices than Green Bay Packers rookie Jager Burton.

With veteran left guard Aaron Banks missing minicamp with an undisclosed injury, Burton has been working with the No. 1 line this week.

With Jacob Monk missing OTAs and this week’s minicamp due to the torn biceps sustained in the playoffs and with Donovan Jennings missing the first two weeks of OTAs, Burton has been given additional opportunities throughout the offseason.

“I see a really young guy that’s extremely coachable, athletic and is maximizing the most of his opportunities,” coach Matt LaFleur said before Wednesday’s practice. “So, I think every practice he gets a little bit more comfortable, a little bit better, and he’s definitely going to be in the mix to compete for playing time this year.”

For as much as can be determined during these noncontact practices, Burton has played exactly to his scouting report. At Kentucky, Burton started at center throughout his senior season. As a junior, he started at left guard. As a sophomore, he mostly started at right guard.

That versatility made him the quintessential Packers draft pick. That Green Bay drafted him was no surprise. The only surprise is that he wasn’t drafted sooner, with East-West Shrine Bowl executive director Eric Galko calling him a “plug-and-play, athletic … super-smart” prospect.

Through three weeks of practices, Burton has seen a lot of action at all three interior positions. At the start of OTAs, he was the second-team center. During the second week of OTAs, the coaches moved starting right guard Anthony Belton out to right tackle, so Burton worked with the No. 1 unit at right guard. Now, with Banks out, Burton has been locked in at left guard.

“Obviously, we have some guys out,” Burton said after Wednesday’s practice. “It’s an honor just to be in the position to be able to do that and learn how they talk and bring that to the twos whenever I’m in there with them.

Packers minicamp ends today. Here's everything you need to know about Wednesday's practice, including the latest on injuries, big plays and lineup notes. ⬇️https://t.co/KF6YUIbqIl
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) June 11, 2026

“It’s really cool hearing the differences of the level of communication when you get with guys who have played together for a while now and know how each other operate; know what they need to say, know what they don’t. It’s cool from that aspect. Just trying to do everything I can to make it not skip a beat whenever there’s a situation when I’m in there.”

Burton credited his offensive line coach at Kentucky, new LSU line coach Eric Wolford, for giving him the position flexibility. Now, he seems to be flourishing under his NFL line coach, Luke Butkus.

“Something Coach Butkus preaches is you pick a thing a day and try to get better at that,” Burton said. “If you do, you move on to the next. If not, you do that thing again. Since I got here, that’s all I’ve been focused on is what’s my thing today and really harping on that, and then the next day, you come back and look, ‘Did I get that done?’ If you did, move on. If not, do it again.

“I think just having that brick-by-brick mindset of what he’s telling us to do, you kind of look up and you’ve gotten better at 30 things in 30 days.”

The Packers feel good about their starting five, which includes Banks at left guard, Sean Rhyan at center and Belton at right guard. But there is no proven depth. Last year’s depth was cannibalized, with Jordan Morgan taking over at left tackle this season and Rhyan replacing Elgton Jenkins at center last season and taking over in the pivot for this season.

If he were healthy, Monk might have been the front-runner to be the super-sub at the interior positions. A fifth-round pick in 2024, he played well in his first career start at Minnesota in Week 18.

Burton, though, has shown such upside the past three weeks that he might enter training camp as the favorite to be the top interior backup.

“Jager’s been great,” Banks said. “He’s a really smart guy. He’s picking up the playbook really well. He has a really good foundation of fundamentals coming into the league. I think he understands the game pretty well – for a young guy, especially. He’s always asking questions. He’s always listening intentionally and asking follow-up questions, really just trying to get better every day.”

OTAs will end next week. Burton doesn’t plan to take much time off.

“I’m definitely excited to see my family,” he said, “but this is what I’ve wanted to do my whole life. It’s corny, but if you’re doing what you love, you don’t work. It’s been awesome just being here and I’m super-excited for the season and training camp. Take it day by day and see where we end up.”

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