The Green Bay Packers are on a sugar high after two dominant wins to open the season. But while fans have raised their expectations to a Super Bowl level, they’d feel even better if Zach Tom returned to the lineup.
Tom was injured in the season-opening win against the Detroit Lions and missed the Week 2 victory over the Commanders after hurting his oblique. Things didn’t go in the right direction to begin the week when Tom missed Monday’s practice and his availability for the Week 3 game at the Cleveland Browns began to shift into doubt.
Fortunately, Matt LaFleur gave a positive update on Tom’s status on Wednesday morning and it could have the Packers’ lineman returning to the trenches on Sunday afternoon.
Packers OL Zach Tom Expected to Practice on Wednesday
According to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky, Tom and Packers guard Aaron Banks are expected to return to practice on Wednesday. LaFleur confirmed the move during Wednesday’s press conference but also noted that both players will return to practice on a limited basis.
Even if Tom isn’t 100 percent, just getting him back on the field would be great news for the Packers. The 26-year-old has become one of the NFL”s best offensive tackles since arriving to Green Bay as a fourth-round pick, grading fourth among qualifying players with a 87.5 overall grade last season according to Pro Football Focus.
The performance helped Tom secure a four-year, $88 million contract extension at the beginning for training camp and put big expectations going into his fourth season. But Tom was injured as he tried to avoid a collision with Jordan Love in Week 1 and Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel noted that Tom couldn’t run without pain before the Week 2 matchup with the Washington Commanders.
The 27-18 win over Washington had little resistance from the Commanders but the right tackle spot was a problem. Anthony Belton didn’t allow a pressure on 25 pass-blocking snaps according to Pro Football Focus but had a penalty that wiped out a Love touchdown pass to Jayden Reed in the first quarter. Darian Kinnard rotated with Belton at the right tackle spot but allowed one pressure on nine pass-blocking snaps.
Belton also posted a 56.4 run-blocking grade in the victory, which feels like a minor detail considering how good Green Bay looked. But getting Tom back for Week 3 would be a big upgrade and help the Packers add to their positive vibes to open the season.