The Green Bay Packers could need a new starting center if Josh Myers does not show marked improvement at the position before the end of the 2024 season. And while they have traditionally found success drafting and developing their offensive linemen, there is one big-fish free agent who could interest them in 2025.
Myers — a 2021 second-round pick — has fallen short of expectations since taking over the starting job for Corey Linsley during his rookie season. While he has allowed zero sacks through the first six games of 2024, he has given up 11 total pressures and played poorly as a run-blocker over 401 snaps, leaving questions about his long-term viability.
Even if the Packers recognize stretches of good play from Myers, it will be difficult for them to justify signing him to a long-term extension when he hits free agency in 2025.
That’s why Bleacher Report’s staff is imploring the Packers to make a big splash and set their sights on longtime Indianapolis Colts center Ryan Kelly in 2025 NFL free agency.
“Josh Myers has continued to be below-average this season and his contract is about to expire. In other words, it’s unlikely that Myers will be back as the starting center in Green Bay next fall,” Bleacher Report’s Scouting Department wrote on October 14. “Meanwhile, Kelly is about to hit the open market and is still playing at a high level.”
Is Ryan Kelly Too Risky for Packers to Pursue in 2025?
If the Packers want to find an upgrade at center in free agency next year, they may not find a better option than the 31-year-old Kelly if the Colts allow him to test the market.
Kelly has started 115 games at center for the Colts since coming into the NFL as the No. 18 overall pick in the 2016 NFL draft and has consistently rated among the league’s best centers. He has been a Pro Bowl selection in four of his last five seasons, including in 2023 when he allowed just seven total pressures — a league-low for staring centers.
Pro Football Focus even rated him the fourth-best center in the NFL in their offseason rankings for 2024 behind only Creed Humphrey, Frank Ragnow and Tyler Linderbaum.
Still, Kelly would be a break from tradition if the Packers pursued him. He will turn 32 before the start of the 2025 season and is likely to cost a pretty penny after delivering such a high level of play while signed to a four-year, $49.65 million deal with the Colts.
The Packers would also have to consider the injury risks with Kelly. While he has only missed significant time once in his career — in 2017 when he had foot surgery — he has only played every game in three of his previous eight seasons and has already missed two games through the first six weeks of 2024 for the Colts. Not an ideal situation.
Could Packers Replace Josh Myers With Current OL?
The Packers might stick to what has worked for their offensive line in the past and look to the 2025 NFL draft to find their new starting center, but there is little doubt at this point in the 2024 season that Myers will no longer be in the fold when 2025 arrives.
Could their future starting center already be on their 2024 active roster, though?
The Packers invested in the No. 25 overall pick in the 2024 NFL draft in guard/tackle Jordan Morgan with intentions for him to eventually become a starter. While an injury has slowed Morgan’s integration into the starting lineup, he could give the Packers the confidence to start toying with the alignment if he starts showing consistent growth.
If so, one possibility for the Packers could be moving star Elgton Jenkins to center to replace Myers and inserting Morgan into the lineup as their new left guard. The team would not even need to wait until after the 2024 season to start experimenting with such an alignment; although, Morgan may not have earned enough faith just yet.
The Packers could also explore moving right tackle Zach Tom to center, especially if they scout the 2025 class and believe they can find a replacement tackle in the draft. According to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky, the Packers think highly of Tom’s potential as their future starting center and could kick him inside once Myers is gone in 2025.
“I was told by a couple of people within the organization. They think Zach Tom is a Pro Bowl right tackle, an All-Pro guard and a potential Hall of Fame center,” Demovsky said in April on ESPN Milwaukee’s “Wilde & Tausch” radio show.