Throughout the Green Bay Packers locker room on Monday, there was a mixture of emotion coming off a heart-breaking playoff loss, as well as optimism about what lies ahead for this young team.
Along with all of that, for right guard Jon Runyan Jr., there is also uncertainty as he enters NFL free agency this offseason.
“I’m definitely going to have to take some time to get away and process everything,” said Runyan at his locker on Monday.
A 2020 sixth-round pick by Green Bay, Runyan was a two-year starter at guard for the Packers coming into the 2023 season and began the year in that role. However, by about the halfway point in the season, he found himself in a rotational role with second-year player Sean Rhyan during the second half of the season.
“Not really what I preferred,” said Runyan, “but just talking to the coaches, they were kind of saying, I was dealing with injuries, kind of banged up, kind of everywhere on my body, and the coaches could see it and they thought it would be a good opportunity to get some rest in a little bit and give Sean some reps, give him a shot, and he played well.”
The start of the season was up and down for Runyan. He allowed 10 pressures in just the first six games and was inconsistent as a run-blocker. As is often the case, we never truly know from the outside looking in what a player is dealing with injury-wise, but also, by Runyan’s own admission, he wasn’t playing his best either.
“It did make me take a step back,” Runyan said, “and I do think that I did struggle at points in the season, looking back on it. I was dealing with some things physically, I’m not using that as an excuse, but I definitely could have played better and once everything started happening, it definitely allowed me to reevaluate everything that I was doing and kind of helped me focus in on what was more important and I felt like it sparked me to a good end of the season for me.”
The rotation between Runyan and Rhyan began in Week 9, and at that time, still consisted of Runyan playing the majority of the game. It was about two or three series a game that Rhyan saw snaps.
But in Week 15 against Tampa Bay, that playing time split between the two went from drastically favoring Runyan to about a 50/50 split. That also happened to be when Runyan really started playing his best football.
After surrendering 10 pressures and two sacks in the Packers’ first six games of the season, Runyan gave up only three pressures and no sacks in the final six.
“I also feel like I played some of my best football these past five, six games as well,” added Runyan. “So I don’t really have any regrets for how the season went. A lot of stuff was out of my control, personally, but overall I feel pretty good with how the season went.
“I wasn’t really fazed by the rotation and everything and looking back it was kind of beneficial for my body and it kind of helped me play better, sparked something inside of me and I felt better physically and mentally and I was able to go out there and play well.”
Throughout the second half of the season, whether it was Matt LaFleur, Adam Stenavich, or Luke Butkus, all three spoke very highly of how the offensive line rotation at right guard and left tackle helped elevate the competition in the offensive line room and therefore the overall play of the unit as well. The on-field performance of the group reflected this as well.
However, that doesn’t happen without having the right type of individuals within that position group. As a two-year starter in a contract year, transitioning to a rotational role couldn’t have been an easy move for Runyan to make, but he embraced it, resulting in him and the offensive line as a whole finishing the season playing their best football.
“Teams and organizations are in the business of winning games,” said Runyan, “and it doesn’t really matter the cost. If they’re not getting the results on the field from the players who are out there, they’re going to try to look in some cases cheaper and better ways. And once you’re presented with that scenario, you can go two ways. You can shut down and pack it in and say that this is your death, or you can understand it.”
For the Packers, they now have a decision to make. Rhyan showed that he has the potential to be a capable starter, especially as a run-blocker, but as Stenavich has pointed out, he has to improve as a pass-blocker if he is going to be a long-term starter at the position.
Whether or not Runyan is back, the team will likely bring in some added competition and try to, at a minimum, bolster the depth along the interior offensive line, and that need will only grow if Runyan ends up elsewhere. The only returning interior linemen from this year’s 53-man roster are Elgton Jenkins, Josh Myers, Royce Newman, and Rhyan.
For Runyan, he’s built his resume, playing 85-plus percent of the Packers’ offensive snaps in each of the last three seasons, but he recognizes that whatever comes next is not completely in his control either. However, if it were, he would be back with the Packers for a run in 2024.
“It was awesome,” said Runyan of his time in Green Bay. “I don’t know if there’s a better organization out there.
“I gave them all I could, really. I never went out there without trying to give my best. I hope the fans and my teammates and coaches are able to see that. Really special place. I don’t know why I’m getting so emotional right now, but it means a lot to me. It was awesome. I don’t want to leave, but it’s not really in my hands.”
