GREEN BAY, Wis. - John Williams went from the end of the bench to front and center for the Green Bay Packers in the blink of an eye.
Williams, a seventh-round pick in 2025, hadn't played a single snap on offense in his career. Until Sunday. With starting center Sean Rhyan and backup Jacob Monk injured within the first 10 plays, Williams wound up playing 58 snaps against the Detroit Lions on Sunday.
The job, presumably, is his now.
Rhyan suffered a high-ankle sprain during the opening series against Detroit when running back Josh Jacobs was tackled and fell into the back of Rhyan's leg. He will miss "at least" the next four games, according to CBS Sports' Matt Zenitz.
With Monk suffering an injured quad during that same series and landing on injured reserve on Monday, Williams could be the team's starting center for the next month. The other option is rookie Jager Burton, who was inactive for the third consecutive game.
With Monk on IR, the Packers promoted Mekhi Becton from the practice squad. The 11th pick of the 2020 draft, he had started 59 games during his first six seasons. The Packers signed him after the Week 3 disaster against Atlanta . He spent the past few weeks working at right guard and right tackle while getting acclimated after offseason surgery.
"Got a lot of confidence with what he's been able to display on the practice field. So, 100 percent," coach Matt LaFleur said recently.
Becton is an enormous individual at 6-foot-7 and 357 pounds. He was a first-round bust with the Jets, where he played left tackle, but his career changed when the Eagles placed him at right guard in 2024. That's where he played for the Chargers last season.
"Mekhi is a big guy; big physical guy," said Packers left guard Laken Tomlinson, who played with the Jets in 2022 and 2023. "He's a people-mover. I played with him with the Jets. He's a physical freak. Definitely excited to have him on the squad."
Including Rhyan, the Packers have 11 offensive linemen on their roster.
The projected starting five after training camp consisted of left tackle Jordan Morgan, left guard Aaron Banks, Rhyan, right guard Jacob Monk and right tackle Zach Bako-Bewele. For most of the game against Detroit, only Morgan was on the field.
Green Bay Packers quarterback Tyrod Taylor (6) looks to pass with protection from John Williams (73) during the preseason. | IMAGN IMAGES via Reuters Connect
Williams was an excellent left tackle at Cincinnati. The Packers drafted him in the seventh round last year, but he missed his entire rookie season following back surgery aside from three weeks of practice late in the season.
This year, he spent the offseason practices and the start of training camp at center before bouncing out to left tackle. In fact, all 93 preseason snaps came at left tackle.
However, with Rhyan and Monk injured and Burton inactive, Williams was thrown into the fire at Detroit, where he was challenged by a strong defensive line and incredible noise. PFF charged him with one pressure allowed on 43 pass-protecting snaps.
"I can't say enough about the job John Williams did, coming in in a hostile environment and just handling the operation, the communication," coach Matt LaFleur said after the game. "To lose two guys at center that quickly in the game, it was a little bit terrifying, but I thought he did a really good job."
Williams majored an aerospace engineering , so his ability to handle the mental aspects of the game are not in question.
"He's so intelligent. He's got great command, understands all the calls, why we're doing what we're doing," LaFleur said. "Again, I commend him for the job he did stepping in a tough situation."
After the game, quarterback Jordan Love laughed when asked if he's ever taken snaps with Williams. After all, Love is the starting quarterback and Williams was an end-of-the-depth-chart player.
"Not much," he said. "I think it's one of those things where we always talk about that next-man-up mentality. Early on, losing Sean and losing Monk, I think John did a great job being able to step up. He hasn't taken many reps at center, let alone with the ones.
"I think for him, that's just a great job of being ready, being able to come in, be able to make these calls in a position where he hasn't played too much. We talk about it all the time - that next-man-up mentality - but I think he did a great job tonight, and it's going to be another short week for him to get ready. We'll see what those guys' status is. It's a tough situation losing two guys early, but I think John did a great job."
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/packers/onsi as Sean Rhyan Injury Update, John Williams' Opportunity and Packers Roster Move .
