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Green Bay Packers offensive lineman Anthony Belton had a rocky rookie year to say the least, taking plenty of lumps as he got his first NFL action, starting seven games at right guard to end the season.
This was a new position for Belton, who was a college left tackle and spent the summer almost exclusively working on the outside during training camp. He played right tackle in two games early in the season, before eventually landing at guard.
His percentile ranks when playing at guard among other eligible players at his position show he had a bit of a tough time.
Looking at his entire body of work at guard, it does not provide many positive signs for the future.
The only two redeeming stats are his penalties – which is genuinely encouraging, as he had some really undisciplined moments during the preseason and seemed to clean it up, with just one penalty in his appearances at guard – and the fact he did not give up a sack all season.
Given his other stats, it is fair to say he should be thanking Jordan Love for that second statistic. Belton was very lucky not to allow a sack considering he ranked dead last in pressures per snap and PFF's pass block efficiency metric among eligible guards.
The issue was that Belton simply had too many plays per game where he completely whiffed or got beat cleanly, quickly. Those did reduce as the season went on, which is a positive.
Belton’s two worst pass pro grades of 20.4 and 23.8 came in his first two starts at guard, and although he was still not exactly steady from there on, his grade never went below 46.6 again, and he even had an 84 grade in the regular season finale.
The hope when Belton came in at guard was that he would bring more of a physical, mauling presence than someone like Jordan Morgan had, but his run blocking grades were not too hot either.
His head was likely swimming as he tried to get to grips with a new scheme and a new position, but whatever the reason for it, Belton did not play with the nasty, finishing demeanor Packers fans were hoping for given his reputation entering the league.
Once again though, there are encouraging signs when you look at his game-by-game PFF grading.
When he was first thrust into the spotlight at guard mid-game against the Vikings in Week 12, he posted a 39.5 run blocking grade. With each passing week, his grade improved to 45.5, then 58.1, 60.4, 60.6, 62, and 71.5 in the final regular season game.
His grade did unfortunately drop back down to 42.6 in the playoff loss to Chicago, but overall, his final stretch was promising.
Green Bay’s coaches have spoken about how difficult it was for Belton to be thrown into the fire at right guard after not practicing there throughout training camp, so he deserves to be cut some slack for what was generally a turbulent rookie campaign.
How he ended the season provides hope for the future, and although it is rarely as easy as picking up where you left off, there are reasons to believe Belton can level out in his second season and not be the liability he was at times in 2025.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Positive signs for Packers OL Anthony Belton amid rocky rookie year
Continue reading...
This was a new position for Belton, who was a college left tackle and spent the summer almost exclusively working on the outside during training camp. He played right tackle in two games early in the season, before eventually landing at guard.
His percentile ranks when playing at guard among other eligible players at his position show he had a bit of a tough time.
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Looking at his entire body of work at guard, it does not provide many positive signs for the future.
The only two redeeming stats are his penalties – which is genuinely encouraging, as he had some really undisciplined moments during the preseason and seemed to clean it up, with just one penalty in his appearances at guard – and the fact he did not give up a sack all season.
Given his other stats, it is fair to say he should be thanking Jordan Love for that second statistic. Belton was very lucky not to allow a sack considering he ranked dead last in pressures per snap and PFF's pass block efficiency metric among eligible guards.
The issue was that Belton simply had too many plays per game where he completely whiffed or got beat cleanly, quickly. Those did reduce as the season went on, which is a positive.
Belton’s two worst pass pro grades of 20.4 and 23.8 came in his first two starts at guard, and although he was still not exactly steady from there on, his grade never went below 46.6 again, and he even had an 84 grade in the regular season finale.
The hope when Belton came in at guard was that he would bring more of a physical, mauling presence than someone like Jordan Morgan had, but his run blocking grades were not too hot either.
His head was likely swimming as he tried to get to grips with a new scheme and a new position, but whatever the reason for it, Belton did not play with the nasty, finishing demeanor Packers fans were hoping for given his reputation entering the league.
Once again though, there are encouraging signs when you look at his game-by-game PFF grading.
When he was first thrust into the spotlight at guard mid-game against the Vikings in Week 12, he posted a 39.5 run blocking grade. With each passing week, his grade improved to 45.5, then 58.1, 60.4, 60.6, 62, and 71.5 in the final regular season game.
His grade did unfortunately drop back down to 42.6 in the playoff loss to Chicago, but overall, his final stretch was promising.
Green Bay’s coaches have spoken about how difficult it was for Belton to be thrown into the fire at right guard after not practicing there throughout training camp, so he deserves to be cut some slack for what was generally a turbulent rookie campaign.
How he ended the season provides hope for the future, and although it is rarely as easy as picking up where you left off, there are reasons to believe Belton can level out in his second season and not be the liability he was at times in 2025.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Positive signs for Packers OL Anthony Belton amid rocky rookie year
Continue reading...
