The Green Bay Packers escaped with an overtime win against the New York Jets in Week 2, but their offensive line woes only got worse over the course of the contest.
Several players along the line suffered health issues on Sunday, September 20, though it was right tackle Zach Bako-Bewele’s (formerly Zach Tom) knee injury that was the worst of them all.
Head coach Matt LaFleur spoke to the status of the Packers’ best offensive lineman following the game.
“That doesn’t look good,” LaFleur said to Packers Radio Network, per Zack Kruse Packers Wire. “That could be a season-ender potentially.”
Bako-Bewele left the field on a cart with his right leg in an air cast during the first half of the contest. He missed five total games in 2025, some of them because of a partially torn patellar tendon he sustained against the Denver Broncos in December.
That was the same game in which pass-rusher Micah Parsons tore his ACL, which has kept him sidelined since then and resulted in Parsons starting the season on the injured reserve list (IR), meaning he will miss at leas the first four contests of the 2026 campaign.
Bako-Bewele, 27 years old, is playing on a four-year extension worth $88 million in total that began this season.
Packers Lost Aaron Banks Mid-Game Against Jets Due to Toe Injury
Another significant loss on the offensive line involved guard Aaron Banks.
Banks left Sunday’s contest in New York with a toe injury and did not return. He missed Week 1 with knee tendonitis, and his absence contributed to a huge day for the Minnesota Vikings defense that included 15 QB hits and four sacks of Jordan Love.
It was unclear as of Sunday night whether Banks would miss significant time with his toe injury.
Packers Can Pursue Former Detroit Lions Left Tackle Taylor Decker in Free Agency
Green Bay is likely to pursue more help on the offensive line either via free agency or the trade market, even if it turns out that Bako-Bewele is not out for the entire season.
The team added offensive guard and three-year Cincinnati Bengals starter (2022-24) Cordell Volson to the practice squad this week as reinforcements on the interior.
Former Detroit Lions left tackle Taylor Decker, a recent Pro Bowler (2024) and a 10-year veteran who has started all 140 games of his NFL career to this point, is easily the best OT available.
However, Decker is a left tackle and not accustomed to playing on the right side of the line. He is also likely to prove somewhat expensive, with Spotrac projecting a new two-year deal worth $42.5 million total for the offensive lineman.
That said, the Packers are not in any position to be picky at this point and need to add as much talent as possible. Green Bay currently has $12.1 million in available salary cap space.
Packers Fear Injury to $88 Million Star Will Prove ‘Season-Ender’