The Green Bay Packers are walking into Week 4 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers with some serious holes in their lineup. They’ve officially ruled out four players on their final injury report, including both starting guards: Aaron Banks (left guard, knee/toe) and Jacob Monk (right guard, quadricep). Yeah, you read that right, both starting guards are out for Sunday.
O-Line Takes a Major Hit, Replacements Step Up (Maybe)
Losing Banks and Monk is a gut punch to that offensive line. Aaron Banks’ replacement looks like it’s Laken Tomlinson, and honestly, the Packers might have dodged a bullet there. Tomlinson, a new signing this week, is reportedly hitting the ground running fast because of his familiarity with Green Bay’s system. The dude played in San Francisco with current Packers offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich (who was an assistant OL coach back then), and also under OCs Mike LaFleur and Nathaniel Hackett. That’s a huge plus.
Right guard? Way more complicated. Donovan Jennings, Travis Glover, and the recently signed Kevin Zeitler all got looks this week. Head coach LaFleur has already pegged Zeitler as the season-long answer at right guard once he gets up to speed on the offense. But the big question mark is whether Zeitler can actually go immediately against the Bucs. That’s a tough spot when you’re plugging guys in on such short notice.
Defensive Concerns and Roster Juggling
It’s not just the offense taking hits. Defensive linemen Warren Brinson (calf/groin) and Anthony Campbell (ankle) are also ruled out. Here’s the wild part: the Packers actually have enough bodies to cover these losses. They’re “oversigned” on both the offensive and defensive lines, which means they only need to make one more scratch to get down to their 48-man game-day roster on Sunday.
Beyond the definite outs, there are some lingering “questionable” tags. Starting linebacker Edgerrin Cooper (shoulder/concussion) was limited early in the week but ramped up to a full participant on Friday. Fingers crossed he passes concussion protocol. Backup interior offensive lineman Jager Burton (groin) started the week full but dropped to limited on Thursday and Friday. If Burton can’t go, the Packers probably won’t need to call up a practice squad O-lineman, which is wild because they already carry a league-leading 11 offensive linemen on their 53-man roster. For context, most teams run with eight offensive linemen on game day. Assuming Cooper gets cleared, the Packers are expected to scratch those four ruled-out players plus one offensive lineman, whether it’s Burton or someone else.
Against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, facing this kind of O-line shuffle and defensive questions is a massive challenge. You gotta wonder how much chemistry these new looks on the line will have right out of the gate. This Week 4 game is going to be a real test of Green Bay’s depth, and we’ll find out quick if these emergency moves can hold the line.
This article was created with AI assistance and published under Seattle On Tap’s editorial standards. See our Editorial Policy.
Originally reported by Acme Packing Company.
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