In last week’s game against the Washington Commanders, the Green Bay Packers were without starters Zach Tom and Aaron Banks on the field. Tom suffered an oblique injury, while Banks sustained an ankle injury in Week 1.
Both guys were listed as questionable leading up to kickoff, despite not practicing during the short week. Thankfully, the Packers had adequate depth behind them, as head coach Matt LaFleur turned to Jordan Morgan, Anthony Belton, and Darian Kinnard, who were okay in relief.
With the extra rest, one would think Banks would be back at practice for Week 3. However, Bill Huber of Packers on SI reported Monday that the veteran offensive lineman was among the four Packers not practicing.
Aaron Banks Not Back at Practice to Kickoff Week 3 Preparation
When Green Bay signed Banks to a huge four-year, $77 million deal in free agency, the belief was that he would help solidify the left side of the offensive line with Rasheed Walker, protecting Jordan Love’s blindside.
However, that hasn’t been the case for the $77 million lineman. Packers fans weren’t pleased with Banks’ performance in the regular-season opener despite Green Bay getting the win on the scoreboard.
The former 49er was getting pushed around by the Lions' defensive linemen at the point of the attack, and the Packers struggled to run the ball behind him. When you compound those two things with his ankle injury, you can understand why fans haven’t been impressed with the new Packer.
That said, the good news for Green Bay is that they don’t play until Sunday, so there’s still time for Banks to make it back to practice. You hope he can hit the practice field by Wednesday, as it could give us a clearer indication of what his status might look like for gameday.
Even though the Browns are 0-2, their defensive line is still a force to be reckoned with. And the Packers can’t overlook that.
On the other hand, if Banks can’t go, the Packers will have to go back to Morgan. The former first-round pick is looking to rebound after he allowed two hurries and struggled immensely in run blocking with a 33.1 grade on PFF. Overall, Morgan had a 41.0 grade, which was the lowest on offense for the Packers.