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The Green Bay Packers have played the most offensive line combinations in the league, with nine so far through three weeks of NFL action. This includes the constant reshuffling of 2024 first-round pick Jordan Morgan, who has now played both guard positions and right tackle, despite spending a significant portion of training camp and the preseason at the left tackle position.
On Monday, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur admitted that maybe the team is spreading Morgan too thin on gamedays. Now, the team has made a move to take some action off his plate.
On Tuesday, Green Bay promoted offensive lineman Brant Banks from the practice squad to the 53-man roster. The Packers had two open roster spots due to the team not making corresponding roster moves when they placed receiver Jayden Reed and defensive end Brenton Cox Jr. on the injured reserve.
Banks is a former two-sport (football and basketball) athlete at Nebraska who ended up transferring to Rice for his final two years of college football. Under head coach Mike Bloomgren, who was the offensive line coach for Stanford from 2011 to 2017 and currently serves as the Cleveland Browns’ offensive line coach, Banks was a two-year starter for the Owls.
Banks started at left guard in 2023 and right tackle in 2024 before signing with the Packers as an undrafted free agent in April. He was called up for Green Bay’s Week 2 game against the Washington Commanders, when both Zach Tom and Aaron Banks were inactive due to injury. He didn’t get on the field offensively, but played four snaps of special teams in field goal protection.
After the Packers allowed a blocked field goal this past weekend, maybe the 6’7”, 306-pound lineman was promoted to help that unit, too. It’s also worth noting that Bloomgren’s Browns just lost a tackle, Dawand Jones, to a season-ending injury. With Jones now on IR, it’s possible this was a preemptive move to prevent Banks’ former college coach from poaching him.
After Banks’ promotion, this leaves Green Bay with just one practice squad offensive lineman: Dalton Cooper, an undrafted rookie by way of the Kansas City Chiefs, who was added after roster cuts in August.
