Packers Get Worst News on OL Injuries Before Cowboys Matchup

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Packers head coach Matt LaFleur.

The Green Bay Packers have seen the worst possible outcome realized for their injured offensive linemen heading into Week 4’s game at the Dallas Cowboys.

Following Friday’s practice, the Packers issued their final injury report for the matchup with the Cowboys this weekend and ruled out starting right tackle Zach Tom (oblique) and his backup — second-round rookie Anthony Belton (ankle) — with their injuries.

Additionally, the Packers also listed starting left guard Aaron Banks (groin) as doubtful to play in Sunday’s game, making it highly likely they will face the Cowboys without two of their starting offensive lineman as well as their top backup option for one of them.

While Tom and Banks both entered the week with injury concerns, Belton’s injury is a new one. Packers head coach Matt LaFleur told reporters Friday that he injured his ankle in September 24’s practice, forcing him to sit out the subsequent two days.

The Cowboys have the third-worst passing defense and fourth-worst total defense in the league through the first three weeks, but that won’t make things much easier on the Packers as they scramble to patch the holes in their offensive line before prime time.

Anthony Belton’s Injury Complicates Packers’ Plans

LaFleur made it clear Friday that he does not believe Belton’s ankle injury is a long-term concern for the Packers. Even still, his absence from Week 4’s lineup complicates things for the Packers as they attempt to find a replacement for the stalwart Tom.

Without Belton, the Packers are down to Darian Kinnard and rookie Brant Banks as their top choices to start at right tackle against the Cowboys. Kinnard, whom the team acquired in a preseason trade for a 2027 seventh-round pick, has played well enough on his 36 fill-in snaps over the first three weeks, but his experience is relatively limited.

Kinnard, however, is a more suitable choice than Banks. The Packers only just signed him up from the practice squad earlier this week after elevating him to the game-day roster in each of their past two games. He has played just four special-teams snaps.

The Packers could explore more creative solutions. Jordan Morgan, their 2024 first-round pick, can play tackle, but he is more likely to fill in for the injured Banks at left guard. They could also move do-it-all Pro Bowler Elgton Jenkins to right tackle, but it is not like they have reliable center in place to take over for Jenkins in that scenario.

Packers Injuries Are Minimal, Outside of O-linemen

On the bright side, the Packers will head into Sunday’s game against the Cowboys with few other injury concerns outside of their offensive linemen — and that’s excellent news for a team that had 14 active-roster players featured on the injury report this week.

The Packers only placed an injury designation on one other player against the Cowboys, listing safety/nickel cornerback Javon Bullard (concussion) as questionable to play. He did not participate in Wednesday’s first practice, but he returned in a limited capacity for the final two practices — a sign of his progress in the NFL’s concussion protocol.

Otherwise, the Packers cleared every other player originally listed on the injury report to play against the Cowboys on Sunday. That includes defensive lineman Karl Brooks (foot) and tight end Tucker Kraft (knee/elbow), who both started the week limited but received an upgrade to full participation for Friday’s final walkthrough session.

The Packers (2-1) will kick off against the Cowboys (1-2) at 8:20 p.m. ET on Sunday.

Jordan J. Wilson is a sports reporter who covers the NFL and MLB for Heavy.com, with a focus on the Chicago Bears and Green Bay Packers. He has previously covered all levels of sports — high school, college and pro — for a variety of publications including The Indianapolis Star, The News-Gazette, Springfield State-Journal Register and Peoria Journal Star. More about Jordan J. Wilson