What to know: Packers to workout 5 players, 3 of which are offensive tackles

The depth of the offensive tackle position for the Green Bay Packers was a strength heading into training camp. However, after Caleb Jones and Luke Tenuta left Friday’s preseason game with injuries, that depth is in question, which is why the team will have three offensive tackles, and five players in total, in for workouts on Tuesday, according to Aaron Wilson.

The group of offensive tackles includes Adrian Ealy, Trevor Reid, and BJ Wilson. Zane Lewis is listed as a safety, while Keytaon Thompson is a reciever.

Ealy went undrafted out of Oklahoma in 2021. He has no regular season NFL snaps, but spent time with the Packers in 2021, along with Pittsburgh, the Los Angeles Rams, and Baltimore Ravens in his career. Ealy spent most of his college career at right tackle, and during his final season allowed nine pressures, three sacks, and ranked 28th among all tackles in PFF’s run-blocking grade.

Reid went undrafted out of Louisville in this year’s draft and initially signed with Philadelphia before recently being released. Primarily playing at left tackle over the last two seasons, Reid gave up five sacks and 30 pressures during that span. He did not, however, grade out well as a run-blocker. In his pre-draft report, NFL.com’s Lance Zierlein had this to say about Reid:

"“If the long-armed, high-cut offensive tackle is to have a chance in the league, it will be because of his pass-protection potential. Reid does a nice job of utilizing his length to punch and stay connected to rushers, but his lack of upper-body and hand strength are major liabilities at the point of attack and against power rushers. Reid is a decent athlete but needs to become much stronger in his core to improve his balance and body control. He appears to lack the polish to make an NFL roster early on but has some developmental traits that might warrant a stint on a practice squad.“"

Lastly, among the offensive tackles, is Wilson, who also went undrafted this past spring out of DII Quincy University. Wilson spent five seasons there, appearing in 42 games and was an All-Conference selection his final two years. For a closer look at Wilson, Zierlein had this to say about him:

"“A tackle prospect with NFL measurables, Wilson lacks the agility and short-area quickness needed to play outside as a pro. He dominated against inferior competition at times, but he failed to bulldoze opponents due his upright posture in the run game. He will need to become more limber to improve his pass slides and run-blocking consistency, but he faces an uphill battle to make a team even if he becomes a better performer in those areas.”"

With David Bakhtiari, Yosh Nijman, Zach Tom, and the emergence of Rasheed Walker at offensive tackle, the ceiling for any one of these players that are in for tryouts is likely to be the practice squad. Realistically, they are needed depth to help get through the remainder of training camp and the preseason. As of now, it is not known how much time either Jones or Tenuta will miss.

Lewis went undrafted in 2020 out of Air Force and played 24 NFL snaps in 2021 with the New York Giants. Most of those snaps came as a free safety. He has also spent time with the New York Jets and Arizona. Lewis was a boundary cornerback in college, totaling two interceptions and 19 pass breakups. He also played nearly 300 special teams snaps.

Perhaps with Innis Gaines still sidelined, the Packers are looking to add another safety to the roster, although with this being a crowded room, there aren’t a ton of extra snaps to go around in practice right now. The Packers could also be looking for an upgrade at defensive back on the back-end of the 90 man roster as well.

Finally, is Thompson, who played receiver at Virginia with Dontayvion Wicks. Thompson, who went undrafted in 2023, was a big slot target at Virginia, standing 6’5” and weighing 216 pounds, taking 70 percent of his snaps from inside. However, he was also asked to do a little bit of everything in the Virginia offense, including being a ball carrier. He also graded out fairly well as a blocker throughout his career by PFF’s metrics.

With Dre Miller currently working with the tight ends with the Packers shorthanded at that position, adding Thompson could be a move to help bolster the receiver depth.

I’m sure you noticed that the Packers won’t be working out any tight ends, even with Tyler Davis suffering a season-ending injury. My guess is that the team is comfortable with the trio of Luke Musgrave, Tucker Kraft, and Josiah Deguara, who will primarily handle the blocking duties like Davis did. Green Bay may also want to first see how Austin Allen and even Henry Pearson perform before making an addition, not to mention that as already discussed, they did bolster depth by moving Miller to tight end.

If the Packers do end up signing any of these players, a corresponding cut will have to be made as they are currently at the 90 man max roster capacity.