Stats suggest Elgton Jenkins in his prime: Is he right to want contract adjustment?
Stats suggest Elgton Jenkins in his prime: Is he right to want contract adjustment?
Elgton Jenkins has been in the spotlight this offseason for various reasons. The Green Bay Packers' most senior offensive lineman is set to move from left guard to center in 2025, taking over for Josh Myers, who departed in free agency.
Versatility has always been one of Jenkins' most valuable traits, and he is hoping to parlay the change in role into an updated contract; a situation which is yet to be resolved.
But when he has been on the field, what has Jenkins brought to Green Bay? Here is what the stats say about his overall profile since returning from an ACL injury in 2022, mostly playing at left guard:
Strengths
According to advanced numbers, Jenkins has been one of the most consistently effective pass blockers in the NFL over the last three years. Among qualified guards, he ranks in the 80th percentile in PFF's pass block efficiency (EFF) metric.
Even in true pass sets, which are plays without screens, short passes or play action, and are generally more taxing on offensive linemen, Jenkins has excelled, landing in the 70th percentile in EFF compared to his contemporaries.
Jenkins ranks in the 75th percentile for sacks allowed per opportunity (SK/OPP), which removes plays involving spikes or penalties. He has allowed just one sack in the last two seasons.
Keeping the quarterback clean is the most crucial part of an offensive lineman's job, but allowing them to feel comfortable is also vitally important, and Jenkins has been stingy when it comes to giving up even low quality pressures.
He ranks in the 67th percentile in hurries per opportunity (HUR/OPP) since 2022, and allowed less than one hurry per game in 2024.
Jenkins has simply been one of the best interior offensive linemen in the NFL when it comes to protecting the quarterback.
Weaknesses
At least according to the metrics available, Jenkins has no significant weaknesses to his game, which is a huge compliment to his overall ability and consistency.
Of the 11 statistics used to build his profile, Jenkins only ranked below average in two of them (more on those later), and neither reached the point of being a legitimate weakness over the last three years as a whole. He is one of the more reliable offensive linemen around.
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Even as he approaches age 30, Jenkins has continued to develop his game in recent seasons, improving in a variety of areas, and much of this is likely related to him becoming further removed from the serious knee injury he suffered in 2021.
In true pass sets, he went from the 25th percentile in SK/OPP in 2022 to the 86th percentile over the last two years. Jenkins also improved his ranking in HUR/OPP in true pass sets from the 48th percentile in 2023 to the 75th a season ago.
He was a stronger pass blocker in 2024 than the previous year by almost every statistical measure. In fact, he was ranked as the best pass blocking guard in the NFL by PFF last season.
The Packers incorporated more gap concepts into their run game in 2024, and Jenkins rose to the challenge. After ranking in the 45th percentile in PFF's gap run block grade in 2023, he improved to the 82nd percentile, helping to open holes for Josh Jacobs.
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The only two statistics in which Jenkins ranks below average over the last two years are the same ones he has seemingly regressed since 2022.
Committing penalties is the weakest part of Jenkins' game, as he ranks in the 36th percentile in penalties per snap over the last three seasons. He graded out in the 58th percentile in 2022; above average, before dropping to the 39th percentile in 2023 and the 11th percentile in 2024.
He was flagged ten times last year, which is the highest number since his rookie year and more than his total for 2023 and 2024 combined (nine).
Penalties are relatively overrated as a means of evaluating the quality of a player, but they can be massively frustrating and have a real impact on the outcome of a game. Discipline might be something Jenkins needs to work on in 2025 and beyond.
This may coincide with the change in emphasis in Green Bay's run game, but Jenkins has actually declined as a zone run blocker since 2022, at least according to PFF's grading.
Jenkins ranked in the 82nd percentile in their zone block grade in 2022, which is excellent, but fell to the 40th percentile the following year, and the 10th percentile in 2024, ranking 70th of 78 qualified guards.
It will be interesting to see how the transition to center impacts Jenkins' game, but Jenkins appears to be firmly in the prime of his career, and it is understandable he wants an amendment to the contract he signed back in 2022, whether the Packers are willing to oblige is another question.
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