The Green Bay Packers inserted starting left guard Aaron Banks into the starting lineup for their Week 8 win over the Carolina Panthers. Head coach Matt LaFleur made it clear that he thought Banks gave them the chance to have the best five starters on the field.
At the same time, he added that Banks still has to work out some things after missing time.
“I do think that there’s, you know, he’s missed a lot of time,” explained LaFleur when assessing the return of his veteran. “So there were some plays where I thought he looked really good, and there were some plays that weren’t so great. So, I think that’s just part of it getting back into playing football.”
Banks had been out of the lineup since Week 2.
Green Bay Packers Starting Aaron Banks at Left Guard
The biggest issue for Banks has been continuity. Banks missed the majority of the offseason due to a knee issue. That caused him to miss practice leading up to Week 1. So, the team decided to start Donovan Jennings over him.
In Week 2, Banks started but left the game after just 22 snaps due to a toe injury. Banks had missed the last five starts.
Green Bay tried Jager Burton in Week 3, and then rolled with Laken Tomlinson from Weeks 4 through 7. With Banks back, they pushed Tomlinson to the right side.
LaFleur noted that the shuffling is not what the team wants, and it has led to some of their offensive struggles. His hope is that now that Banks is healthy, the team can get back into a rhythm of continuity in practice.
“Yeah, it’s hard,” admitted LaFleur on all of the shuffling. “It’s hard to get five as one when they’re not out there playing together. It feels like almost every week we got a new rotation in there. So, we need to continue building that continuity throughout practice and then obviously into the games. But a lot of it’s going to be dependent upon availability as well.”
LaFleur is looking for Banks to remain a participant in practice.
Packers Need to See More From Banks
Banks is in the second year of his four-year, $77M deal. The team is likely tied to his deal through next season as well, so they are committed to getting him back to his old ways. However, the injuries and unavailability have delayed progress.
Banks returned to practice on October 9. So they are closing in on his fourth week as a participant. This can add to the continuity. However, they need him to stay healthy now. He has just 91 snaps in two weeks this season.
If they can keep him at left guard, they can get Tomlinson more comfortable on the right side. Then, they can head into the playoffs with momentum on the line. We will see if they can bring the same five into their Week 9 matchup with the New England Patriots.
Packers HC Reveals Concerns With $77M Starter