The Green Bay Packers are 2-0 after picking up back-to-back wins at Lambeau Field over the Detroit Lions and Washington Commanders. They got their second victory last Thursday with several players sidelined by injuries, including offensive tackle Zach Tom, who got hurt trying to avoid a collision with Jordan Love in the opener.
As they prepare for a road game against the Cleveland Browns in Week 3, Tom is still sidelined. According to Bill Huber of Sports Illustrated, Tom is one of four players who aren’t practicing on Monday.
Packers’ Zach Tom Misses Monday’s Practice with Injury
Tom has been injured since Week 1, when he had to leave the game with a hip injury. Lions defensive end Aidan Hutchinson pushed Love into Tom, and the lineman landed on his right hip after jumping over his quarterback, leading to an injured oblique.
He attempted to give it a go before the Commanders’ game, but couldn’t run without pain. Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported on Sept. 12 that Tom didn’t know how long he would be sidelined and was non-committal about being available for this Browns game.
That isn’t ideal, as Tom has been an anchor along the Packers’ offensive line for the last two seasons. Before the season began, he inked a four-year, $88 million extension with Green Bay. The Packers were thrilled to have one of their bookend tackles signed for the long haul, but there’s no clue when he will return to the field.
Not suiting up on Monday isn’t the best development and shows he’s still in some pain despite getting extra time off. The Packers aren’t looking to rush him back, though, especially since they are 2-0. This injury is making them rely on the depth that they’ve built.
Darian Kinnard and Anthony Belton rotated at right tackle in Tom’s place. Both guys played well in his place, with Belton logging 51 total snaps (28 in pass block) and allowing zero pressures. Kinnard played in 17 snaps (8 pass in pass block) with zero pressures as well.
The good news is, there’s still time for Tom’s activity to change. Green Bay’s first official Week 3 injury report won’t come out until Wednesday, and Friday will provide a much better read on the star tackle’s status for Cleveland. That’s several days of treatment and rehab to potentially get Tom right.
Luckily the Browns, who are dealing with a clear issue at quarterback, present a nice reprieve in case the Packers want to buy their injured contributors an extra week. Though Myles Garrett is a game-wrecker, Green Bay has a clear talent advantage across the board, so getting by without Tom is more than feasible.
