It has been a very strange past three years for Green Bay Packers offensive tackle Yosh Nijman. It appeared that he might be the next man up if starting left tackle David Bakhtiari would be lost again. Then, it appeared he might be the answer as the starting right tackle. But now, he appears to be a man without a spot on the Green Bay Packers offensive line. Today, we take a look at what happened to Yosh Nijman.
The Mystery of Yosh Nijman
It’s difficult not to cheer for Yosh Nijman. He joined the Packers in 2019 as an undrafted free agent out of Virginia Tech. His future with the Packers was a long shot. But the Packers gave him time to develop and he worked his way up to the Packers 53-man roster.
Then Nijman got his opportunity to show what he had in 2021. With David Bakhtiari still recovering from his 2020 season-ending injury, and Elgton Jenkins, who took Bakhtiari’s spot, suffering his own season-ending injury against the Minnesota Vikings, it was Nijman’s turn at left tackle. In the eight games he started in 2021, Nijman did enough to hold down the position. For an undrafted free agent, it was pretty remarkable what he did.
David Bakhtiari returned in 2022 and started 11 games at left tackle. With his return, it meant that Nijman would be Bakhtiari’s primary backup. It also allowed him to see time at right tackle. He would go on to start 13 games, both at left and right tackle.
After seeing time at both left and right tackle in 2022, many thought Nijman would once again play a big role on the Green Bay Packers offensive line in 2023. But so far, that just hasn’t happened. Even with Bakhtiari lost for the season, Nijman finds himself behind current left tackle Rasheed Walker and starting right tackle Zach Tom. Nijman has played in just five games this season, most of it coming as a blocking tight end in certain run packages.
So what went wrong? Why has Nijman ended up so far down the depth chart? The answer isn’t clear, but we have a few ideas.
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Losing Out to Tom and Walker
At the conclusion of the 2022 season, Yosh Nijman entered the off-season as a restricted free agent. General manager Brian Gutekunst placed a second-round tender on the fourth-year veteran. That meant that if any of the other 31 teams would have signed Nijman to a contract, the Packers had first right of refusal. If they chose to let him walk, whichever team signed him would have to give up a second-round draft choice to the Packers.
Unfortunately, for the Packers, nobody bit. That meant Nijman would return on a one-year, $4.3 million deal. For a team that is hurting for salary cap room, it was a pretty big investment. Especially if you factor in how little they have used Nijman so far this season.
The contract makes it appear that Gutekunst, head coach Matt LaFleur, and offensive line coach Luke Butkus had big plans in store for Nijman in 2023. But again, that hasn’t happened so far this season. Instead, Nijman has become an afterthought. It is understandable that he lost out to Zach Tom for the starting right tackle position. After Tom’s strong 2022 season, and being a better athlete than Nijman, you can’t fault the Packers for going with Tom on the right side.
Most thought that Nijman would replace Bakhtiari when he was lost for the season. Instead, the Packers chose to insert Rasheed Walker, a former seventh-round draft choice who only played in one game in 2022. With 21 starts under his belt, many expected that Yosh Nijman would be the successor to Bakhtiari. But instead, they chose to go with the unproven Walker as the blindside protector of first-year starting quarterback Jordan Love.
So far, the decision really hasn’t panned out. Walker has had his struggles, especially in the Packers loss to Las Vegas Raiders. Against the Raiders, standout Raiders pass rusher Maxx Crosby had his way with Walker. But even with Crosby dominating Walker, Nijman still found himself on the bench as a spectator.
Overestimating Nijman’s Value
After stepping in for Bakhtiari in 2021, you would have thought that Yosh Nijman was the second coming of Anthony Munoz. People, especially certain daily Packers podcasters, bought into what Nijman was doing. In fact, some thought he was the long-term answer at left tackle once the Packers parted ways with Bakhtiari.
But in reality, Nijman’s 2021 was just fool’s gold. Sure, he performed better than what you would expect out of a former undrafted free agent. However, if you dig into what the Packers did offensively to help Nijman, his effort wasn’t as impressive as it looked.
That season, along with the 2022, Nijman was given a lot of help. That help came from standout blocking tight end Marcedes Lewis. LaFleur and offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich made sure the veteran Lewis was lined up frequently next to Nijman. It was very rare that Nijman was left in one one-on-one blocking situations. Credit LaFleur and Stenavich for scheming that, because it helped the Packers offense immensely.
But with Lewis no longer with the Packers, and the Packers currently not having a tight end that is even close to the blocker Lewis is, they no longer have that luxury. That could be the driving force in why Nijman is at the bottom of the Packers offensive tackle depth chart. The Packers just don’t have the luxury of dedicating one tight end to help Nijman.
An Uphill Battle for a Spot on the 2024 Green Bay Packers Roster
While you can never have too many capable offensive tackles, Yosh Nijman might be playing his last season as a Packer. It is doubtful that David Bakhtiari will return in 2024. With his high salary cap number and his knee issues, it is doubtful the Packers will bring back the once-dominant left tackle. But even if that becomes reality, it is hard to see Nijman having a spot on the 2024 roster.
Zach Tom is entrenched at right tackle. It can be argued that he might even be the future at left tackle. Tom has remarkable feet and has proven that he can take on very capable pass rushers. He has shown that he can play at a high level on the right side. But it almost seems like a waste not to play him on the left side. Either way, he won’t be leaving the starting lineup anytime soon.
Rasheed Walker is going to take his lumps this season. This is his first full season as a starter, so it will take him time to develop. But with LaFleur and Butkus choosing him over Nijman, it makes you believe he will continue, this season and next, to be the Packers starting left tackle.
That leaves Yosh Nijman without a spot. He will be a free agent after this season and it is doubtful the Packers will offer him anything close to what he is currently making. It is also doubtful, with the Packers having two young starting tackles, that Nijman will want to return. So, for now, Nijman will be the top backup to both spots. It appeared he had a bright future, but now, he is just a backup.
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