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In his pre-practice press conference on Wednesday, Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur told the media that both left guard Aaron Banks (ankle/groin) and right tackle Zach Tom (oblique) would be returning to practice as “limited” today. Both players were injured in Week 1 and were unable to practice or play in Week 2 on the short turnaround for Thursday Night Football.
As a response to the injuries, the Packers’ offensive line shuffled in Week 2. Jordan Morgan, who primarily rotated in at right guard with Sean Rhyan, went to left guard to replace Banks. This allowed Rhyan to become a full-time right guard in the game.
At right tackle, drives were split between second-round rookie Anthony Belton and Darian Kinnard, with the majority of those looks going toward Belton at the end of the game.
The offensive line should be a big story this week, not just because of injuries but also because of what the Cleveland Browns, the Packers’ next opponent, brings to the table. Like Green Bay’s Week 1 and 2 foes, the Browns pack the box to stop the run and play a lot of man coverage outside to make up for the fact that they blitz their linebackers.
It’ll be another game where quarterback Jordan Love will take shots downfield to hopefully take advantage of the defense’s aggression, but he’ll need to be protected well to make the most of those opportunities.
