Those who have followed Ted Thompson's tenure as general manager of the Green Bay Packers are familiar with his penchant for inexpensive, young players. That strategy has manifested itself as, among other things, a very young group of blockers for Aaron Rodgers in Green Bay. According to the calculations from Philly Voice's Jimmy Kempski, the Packers have the 10th-youngest starting offensive line in the league by average age.
Per Kempski, the average age of the five preferred starters lands at 25.6, putting them in a virtual tie with the Carolina Panthers (ranked ninth youngest) and San Francisco 49ers (11th). This is unlikely to surprise most fans, as three of the five starters were still on their rookie deals at the end of the 2014 season. The "graybeard" of the group is left guard Josh Sitton, who turns 29 next month. On the other end of the spectrum, left tackle David Bakhtiari won't celebrate his 24th birthday until after the start of the 2015 regular season.
Given that the Packers' offensive line is already one of the best units in the league, the fact that the starters are so young heavily suggests more improvement is on the way. Factor in Ted Thompson's smart managing of the salary cap, and it appears this line will have a longer run than the dominant 2003 group it's often compared with.