The Packers Are Throwing Up Hail Mary’s With Their Offensive Line
· Yahoo Sports
The Green Bay Packers are hoping 12th-year player Laken Tomlinson (78) can add some stability to their dreadful offensive line.
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Getty ImagesAaron Banks can’t stay on the field.
Jager Burton isn’t ready.
And Jacob Monk and Donovan Jennings simply aren’t very good.
This is the Green Bay Packers’ situation at guard these days, so they’ve thrown up a pair of Hail Mary’s hoping for Aaron Rodgers-level success.
Good luck.
The Packers signed 12th-year guard Laken Tomlinson on Saturday and added seventh-year Mekhi Becton to their practice squad Monday. Tomlinson had been on the Dallas Cowboys’ practice squad, while Becton is returning from a torn labrum suffered in 2025.
“I think it’s great,” Green Bay head coach Matt LaFleur said of the additions. “I mean, these guys have played a lot of football, so you know they know how to play the game, and you know the game’s not too big for them. But certainly there’s going to be a learning curve there.”
The Packers’ offensive line has been legendarily bad to begin the season.
According to ESPN, Green Bay’s pass blocking win rate is just 16%. That’s the lowest from any team since ESPN began keeping that statistic in 2017.
According to Next Gen Stats, quarterback Jordan Love is averaging just 2.49 seconds to throw, the worst in football. He’s also been under pressure on 42.1% of his dropbacks, the fifth-worst in football.
According to Pro Football Focus, Love has been under pressure on 59 dropbacks and is completing just 18-of-50 passes (36.0%) on those throws with no touchdowns and two interceptions.
Love has also taken 20 hits, putting him on pace to take 113 hits over 17 games. Since becoming the starter in 2023, the most hits Love has taken in a season in 49.
In addition, the Packers are averaging just 48.7 rushing yards per game, which is the lowest of the Super Bowl-era.
Since the 2023 season ended, virtually every move general manager Brian Gutekunst has made with his offensive line has blown up, leaving Green Bay with the NFL’s worst line in years.
Gutekunst let guard Jon Runyan (New York Giants) and center Josh Myers (New York Jets) leave in free agency. Both have since signed second contracts with their new teams.
The Packers moved Pro Bowl guard Elgton Jenkins to center in 2025, where he struggled before suffering a broken fibula midway through the year. Jenkins was released in March, 2026, but has played solid football for Cleveland this season.
The Packers gave Banks a four-year, $77 million free agent contract in March, 2025 and he’s dealt with an endless stream of injuries. This season, Banks has played just 22 snaps — all in Week 2 — before exiting with knee and toe injuries.
Green Bay 2024 first round pick Jordan Morgan has struggled in his first season as the starting left tackle and ranks 57th out of 69 tackles by PFF. Right tackle Anthony Belton, the Packers’ 2025 second round pick, ranks 67th out of 69 tackles by PFF.
Amazingly, though, Green Bay’s guard play has been even worse. Burton ranks 73rd out of 73 guards by PFF, Jennings is 66th and Monk is 61st.
“We’ve got to get better, and I think that’s where the majority of our focus will lie is in terms of our pass sets and how we’re passing off twists, how we punch, all that stuff,” LaFleur said. “It’s got to improve in a hurry.”
Hoping Tomlinson and Becton can rescue the Titanic is a big ask.
Tomlinson, a first round draft pick in 2015, will be playing for his seventh team. Tomlinson has played in 162 career games and reached the Pro Bowl in 2021. The last time he lasted more than one year with a team was 2022-2023 with the New York Jets, and he’s been released twice in the last two seasons.
Tomlinson has primarily played left guard, and could be in the lineup as soon as Sunday when Green Bay heads to Tampa Bay.
“I feel like I can come in and provide some stability, some toughness, some leadership, as well,” Tomlinson said. “Obviously going into Year 12, I’ve played a lot of ball. I feel like still got a lot left in the tank. I feel like I can bring a lot to the team.”
The 6-foot-7, 363-pound Becton was the 11th overall pick in the 2020 draft and played four seasons with the New York Jets. Becton spent a year with Philadelphia, then signed a two-year, $20 million free agent contract with the Los Angeles Chargers in March, 2025.
Becton lasted just one year with the Chargers, though, was released in March, and has been a street free agent since.
Becton has primarily played on the right side, and figures to be thrown into the lineup once he’s up to speed.
“I mean, all you can control is how you respond to every situation,” LaFleur said. “And you know we’re going to attack it head on and try to … put the guys out there that we feel give us the best opportunity to go win a football game.”
Right now, just who that is remains mystery — which is why the Packers have resorted to Hail Mary’s.
This article was originally published on Forbes.com