Zach Tom to compete at right tackle, right guard and possibly center for Packers
By Paul Bretl
Matt LaFleur has said countless times that when it comes to the Green Bay Packers offensive line, it’s about putting the best five on the field. When it comes to where Zach Tom fits into that equation, he is going to have the opportunity to fill several different positions.
The obvious potential starting spot for Tom is at right tackle, where he would compete with Yosh Nijman. Tom played nearly 400 snaps between the right and left tackle positions as a rookie, where for the 2022 seasons, he was credited with allowing just one sack and 12 pressures, according to PFF.
However, in addition to taking snaps this offseason and summer there, Packers offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich would tell reporters on Tuesday that Tom will also see snaps at right guard and potentially center as well.
"“We got a lot of competition on the right side, at guard, right tackle, or even center,” said Stenavich. “We are just going to go out there and put those guys at different spots. I know right now, Zach is going to compete a lot at right guard and right tackle, and possibly some at center, and see how that goes. Getting those best five out there, that gel the best and are the most physical, that’s what I’m looking for.”"
Green Bay drafted Josh Myers to play center in 2021, and when healthy, that has been where he’s played. Jon Runyan was the Packers’ left guard until about the halfway point in the 2022 season, when Elgton Jenkins returned to that position, forcing Runyan to slide to right guard. Both players were able to hold their own, for the most part, in pass protection—although power rushers were an issue at times. However, neither was nearly as effective as run blockers. There were also some miscommunications at times on stunts and blitzes from the defense. I imagine what the Packers are looking for is more consistency in all facets.
If Myers isn’t the starting center, he does have the ability to play guard. But for Runyan, with Jenkins an All-Pro caliber left guard, if he’s unable to secure the right guard position, he most likely will be relegated to backup duties. Another factor in this decision will be how Tom looks at right tackle in comparison to Nijman. With offensive line play very much being of the mindset that the sum of the parts is greater than the individual, wherever the greatest drop off is – tackle, guard, or center – could be where Tom fills in.
Tom didn’t play right guard at Wake Forest, but he did spend 1,156 snaps at center, which is where Brian Gutekunst said earlier this offseason that when coming out of college, the Packers evaluated Tom to be at his best. As the Green Bay offensive line dealt with injuries last season, Tom would play 110 snaps at both the left and right guard positions.
Understandably so, much of the attention so far this offseason has been spent on the Packers’ young core of pass catchers. However, any potential success that Jordan Love is going to have in his first year as a starting quarterback begins with the play of the offensive line. We saw this play out last season with Aaron Rodgers under center. It’s not a coincidence that around Week 10 when the offensive line was finally healthy, that is also when the offense as a whole began to play its best football.
If the run game isn’t finding success and the Packers find themselves in third and long and predictable passing situations where the defensive front can pin its ears back–that’s not good for Love. If there isn’t time in the pocket and Love is under consistent pressure–you guessed it, that isn’t good either.
As they’ve often done, the Packers will use training camp and the preseason to experiment a bit, utilizing a wide variety of offensive line combinations to find their best five, which without question should include Tom, but the big question now is, where is that going to be?