On a roster that is virtually devoid of training-camp battles for starting jobs, an impressive offseason by a rookie might have created a competition at right guard

GREEN BAY — When the Green Bay Packers kicked off their on-field offseason work, it seemed as if their offensive line was, well, set.

Jordan Morgan at left tackle. Aaron Banks at left guard. Sean Rhyan at center. Anthony Belton at right guard. And Zach Tom at right tackle.

And maybe that will indeed be their starting five when training camp opens on July 29 at Ray Nitschke Field and when the season starts Sept. 13 against the Minnesota Vikings at U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis.

But with rookie fifth-round pick Jager Burton getting first-team snaps at both right guard and left guard while Tom and Banks missed practice time while recovering from injuries — and head coach Matt LaFleur saying that Burton is “definitely going to be in the mix to compete for playing time this year” — it could be Belton vs. Burton for the right guard job in camp.

“To have a starting lineup on paper is great, but each and every one of those guys that are on that first line know that it’s about competition,” offensive line coach Luke Butkus said during organized team activity practices.

“They’re only going to get as good as the guys behind them are pushing them, so to have everybody in our room right now competing, that’s what we’re looking for.”

That said, Morgan is clearly the left tackle after the offseason free-agent departure of previous starter Rasheed Walker; Banks has gotten $43 million in guaranteed money in the last 15 months from the team after coming over from the San Francisco 49ers; Rhyan just re-upped with the Packers on a three-year deal after shifting to center midway through last season; and Tom, who is coming back from a partially torn patellar tendon, has not yet been cleared to practice fully, is the unit’s best player and is unquestioned starter at right tackle when healthy.

That leaves right guard, where Belton started seven games (including the season-ending playoff loss to the Chicago Bears) as a rookie second-round pick last year — along with one start at right tackle when Tom was sidelined for a Week 2 win over Washington.

“Last year, he was a tackle, and we were [planning on] just having him play swing tackle and focus on that,” offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich explained. “And then all of a sudden, we lost a bunch of guys. It’s like, ‘Hey, bud, you’ve got to go into play guard.’

“So credit to him for going out there and doing it and playing pretty well.”

To be clear, the self-aware 6-foot-6, 336-pound Belton in no way acted this offseason as if he had the right to be complacent. Instead, while the experience of 488 regular-season and 71 playoff snaps was undeniably valuable, he also knows those snaps left lots of room for improvement.

“There’s a lot that comes with it when you transition for college to here,” Belton confessed. “You’ve just got to be able to adjust and retain information as best you can.”

In other words, there’s a difference between playing well for a rookie and playing well, period.

“Just being able to play as a rookie, I learned a lot. I learned a lot about the process, preparation, and just what comes with it,” Belton said. “I was able to get acclimated, so now I know what to expect going into this year, know what I need to work on.

“There were a lot of ups and downs that I had, but now I feel like I’m in a position where I can think less and do more.”

Whether Burton can prove to be a better option despite having none of that NFL experience remains to be seen, but with 47 career college starts at Kentucky — 23 at left guard, 15 at center and nine at right guard — the 6-foot-4, 312-pound Burton is, as his head coach put it, in the mix.

“Jager has a lot of really good qualities that you’re looking for in an offensive lineman in the NFL,” Stenavich said. “I’ll just leave it at that.”

Asked what his first-team work meant to him, Burton replied, “It’s an honor just to be in the position to be able to do that. 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.”

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