The Green Bay Packers’ offensive line was a weakness coming into their Week 2 game against the New York Jets. It got even weaker in the win as they lost Aaron Banks and Zach Bako-Bewele to injury. Jacob Monk also had to be evaluated for a stinger as well.
The team got so thin that head coach Matt LaFleur admitted that they had legitimate discussions about putting tight end Tucker Kraft in at tackle for a few snaps.
“As a matter of fact, there was a time when we were down to four o-linemen,” said LaFleur. “We were talking about putting Tucker Kraft in at tackle when Monk was getting evaluated. I had never been a part of anything like that, but it does come up from time to time.”
The Packers made tackles on John Williams and Travis Glover inactive before the game. So, they had three active backups. With Bako-Bewele and Banks out, they had just one backup. Donovan Jennings was down as well, leaving the team without any depth. So, when Monk was questionable to return, Kraft was officially the next man up on the line.
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Kraft is so valuable as a tight end because he is one of the best blockers at his position, and he can catch passes. So, the team was willing to sacrifice his pass-catching to go all in on his blocking if needed.
Kraft finished the game with two catches for 15 yards, mostly because the line was so thin that the team needed him to stay in as an extra blocker. So, the woes were already impacting his ability in the passing game.
Packers Offensive Line Woes Continue
Monk was evaluated, but did not miss a snap. Still, the team did have to play three linemen at left guard, and they had to play Anthony Belton at right tackle. Bako-Bewele went down after three snaps, and Belton stood in for the rest.
The team used Belton at right tackle often in the offseason due to the injury questions that Bako-Bewele had in the offseason. The initial thought was that the Packers were wasting time that Belton could have had at guard. However, now it looks like Belton is going to start at right tackle for the remainder of the season.
At left guard, Aaron Banks started but left early with a toe injury. The Packers turned to Donovan Jennings, but he left the game as well. So, rookie Jager Burton finished the game at left guard.
The Packers offensive line will have even more questions entering Week 3, and they had massive questions entering Week 2. Their left guard, right guard. and now right tackle look to be notable issues.
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