The Green Bay Packers have been forced into making additions en-masse on the offensive line over the past 7 days since the blowout loss at home to the Atlanta Falcons.
Veteran guards Laken Tomlinson and Kevin Zeitler, aged 34 and 36 respectively, have both been signed to the active roster, whilst former first round pick and 6’7 behemoth Mekhi Becton has been signed to the practice squad, although he could see himself elevated for Week 4’s bout against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
Speaking to the media on Thursday, head coach Matt LaFleur shared that he has a plan for the trio, but was coy in giving further details as to when they may see the field.
Matt LaFleur Has ‘Ramp up’ Plan for Zeitler, Becton and Tomlinson
“LaFleur says that the Packers have a ramp up plan when it comes to Zeitler, Becton, and Tomlinson. As far as how long that might be, that’s the “magic question,” as LaFleur put it.” Paul Bretl reported on Oct. 1.
The Packers have put forward what has widely been regarded as the worst offensive line in football three weeks into the season.
In pass protection, the Packers score 16% in pass-block-win-rate in ESPN’s advanced offensive line metric, measuring how often blockers in the unit prevent pass rushers from beating their blocks within 2.5 seconds. For comparison, the next lowest score is 32% scored by the Arizona Cardinals – double Green Bay’s.
When Could the New Offensive Line Additions Play?
Zeitler and Becton had both been without teams since March, and Tomlinson had only just returned to the league after being signed to the Dallas Cowboys‘ practice squad on September 9. So the trio as a whole will no doubt need some time to re-adjust to NFL life.
However, it is not inconceivable that all three players get at least some time on Sunday against Tampa Bay.
Indeed, it has been projected by some beat writers that Becton could even suit up at right tackle over the struggling second-year second round pick Anthony Belton, who looked far more comfortable at guard in 2025 before being forced into the right tackle spot due to a season-ending injury to Zach Bako-Bewele.
By Week 5 and 6, it would be surprising to not see at least two of the three seeing substantial action on the Packers’ offensive line.
Matt LaFleur Reveals He Has ‘Plan’ For New Offensive Linemen Additions