The Green Bay Packers pulled off what was easily the team's best performance of the year to date last Sunday when they dismantled division rivals, the Chicago Bears, to the tune of 31-7.
Over the past couple of weeks the team have managed to string together a pair of victories after Week 3's Thursday night rout at the hands of the Atlanta Falcons had Packers fans wondering if 2026 was already a lost season. And no unit has seen more improvement than that of the offensive line, which after getting battered over the first couple of weeks feels far more stable.
Veteran Laken Tomlinson has shown he can still play well at 34 years of age, and deputizing right tackle Anthony Belton has been excellent in place of high-end starter Zach Bako-Bewele.
Given the team's improved chemistry along the line, Matt LaFleur implied that he would stick with the teams current tandem of Tomlinson and third year pro Travis Glover at guard.
"I think those guys are playing pretty well right now and we have a big challenge in front of us now with Quinnen Williams & Kenny Clark." LaFleur said to the media on Wednesday, although he did note that the guard situation may change fluidly.
This hint was then confirmed up by the player selection during the portion of practice open to the media, where Glover started at right guard.
This is certainly not the ideal start for Zeitler, who looks potentially set to miss a third straight game despite being healthy in lieu of Glover.
Whilst the former sixth round pick was praised for his performances over the past couple of weeks; and in the Buccaneers game he played well and did not allow a single pressure; Week 5's game was not as impressive.
Glover allowed two pressures; a hurry and hit on quarterback Jordan Love against the Bears, and according to Pro Football Focus was Green Bay's worst offensive player .
Nevertheless, PFF grades are not everything, and evidently LaFleur is at least somewhat with the offensive line structure. It is certainly true that continuity is key when trying to ensure quality play in said unit week-in, week-out.
Moreover, with Aaron Banks returning to practice in limited fashion on Wednesday, there could be even greater hurdles for the Wisconsin native, Zeitler, to get on the field after signing a one-year $4.05 million deal back on September 30.
The silver lining for Zeitler is that, as LaFleur noted during the media availability – there is no entrenched starter at either guard position, so in the coming weeks Green Bay could see any combination of Tomlinson, Banks, Glover and Zeitler take the field.
Given the amount the team paid for the 15-year veteran, it would be surprising if LaFleur and co. did not give him at least one opportunity to start a game this season.
This article was originally published on HEAVY
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