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Matt LaFleur says Packers starting guard situation is 'fluid'
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- Matt LaFleur says Packers starting guard situation is 'fluid'
Continuity is king along the offensive line, and the Green Bay Packers are finally starting to settle along the offensive front, but with Aaron Banks getting healthy and Kevin Zeitler inching closer to readiness, coach Matt LaFleur says the starting situation at both guard positions moving forward.
He also admitted left guard Laken Tomlinson and right guard Travis Glover are "playing pretty well right now."
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At left guard, Tomlinson has provided much-needed stability, starting each of the last two games and drastically improving the down to down performance of the position. Banks, the preferred starter entering the season, has battled knee and toe injuries but will practice in a limited capacity on Wednesday.
"I would say it's going to be pretty fluid," LaFleur said. "We have to see where (Banks) is at. He hasn't practiced in a really long time. Those other guys have come in and done a really good job."
After facing 25 dropbacks under pressure in Week 3, the Packers added Tomlinson, Zeitler and Mekhi Becton, and inserted Glover into the starting lineup. Over the last two weeks, Love has been under pressure on just 13 dropbacks total.
The Packers signed Zeitler two weeks ago, but Glover -- a surprise starter in Tampa Bay -- has played well enough where LaFleur hasn't needed to rush Zeitler into the lineup. The veteran has been allowed a ramp up period after missing all of the offseason and training camp while recovering from surgery on a leg injury.
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Of the two starters at guard, Tomlinson looks like the harder player to displace, given his experience and play quality over the last two weeks. Banks, for all the team's hopes after signing him to a massive deal in 2025, simply hasn't been healthy enough over a consistent period to be trusted as a preferred starter.
Glover has allowed only three pressures and committed just a single penalty in two starts, but he's been ineffective as a run blocker, so an eventual switch to Zeitler does provide an opportunity for the Packers offensive line to take another step forward.
More than likely, the Packers will eventually settle into a starting offensive line featuring Jordan Morgan at left tackle, Banks or Tomlinson at left guard, Sean Rhyan at center, Zeitler at right guard and Anthony Belton at right tackle.
LaFleur and the Packers might have to make tough decisions are both guard positions before playing the Dallas Cowboys on Sunday night. Tomlinson or Banks at left guard? Glover or Zeitler at right guard? The guess here would be Tomlinson and Zeitler.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Matt LaFleur says Packers starting guard situation is 'fluid'
