GREEN BAY, Wis. — For the second consecutive day, Aaron Banks was held out of practice with knee and toe injuries.
The Green Bay Packers’ preferred starter at left guard sustained a toe injury in the first half of the team’s Sept. 20 win over the New York Jets and hasn’t been back on the field since. This latest ailment compounds with the knee tendinitis that has plagued him since the start of training camp.
Banks will likely miss a second consecutive game—and three-and-a-half of the Packers’ four games to begin the year—on Sunday versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
In Banks’ place will be 34-year-old Laken Tomlinson, who was signed by the Packers earlier this week. The 12-year veteran has already been practicing at left guard with the No. 1 offense and is likely to start on Sunday.
With Banks out of last Thursday’s meeting with the Atlanta Falcons, the Packers deployed fifth-round rookie Jager Burton at left guard, but that experiment was quick to be rectified after he surrendered 10 pressures. Burton was added to Thursday’s practice report with a groin injury, but he was still able to log a limited session.
Defensive tackle Warren Brinson returned to practice on Wednesday for the first time since suffering a calf injury during warm-ups of the Packers’ Aug. 21 exhibition game against the Denver Broncos. His return was short-lived, however, as he, too, picked up a groin injury. He was held out of practice entirely on Thursday, creating yet another obstacle for the former sixth-round pick.
Like Banks, Jacob Monk has also missed consecutive practices this week. Monk, who has started all three of the Packers’ games at right guard, is dealing with a quadriceps injury.
The Packers signed 36-year-old and Wisconsin native Kevin Zeitler after a successful visit Tuesday night. Zeitler, who has 14,403 career snaps at right guard across a 15-year career, is in the ramp-up process and slowly navigating toward playing this weekend. Donovan Jennings has been repping at right guard with the Packers’ first-team offense, but Zeitler has been simulating snaps at the right side of the line, alongside right tackle Anthony Belton.
“They all did a great job; it’s exciting to get them out there,” said head coach Matt LaFleur of the team’s veteran additions to the offensive line. “Obviously, they’re guys that have played a lot of football and played at a high level.”
By all accounts, the Packers could be preparing to start Jennings if Zeitler isn’t acclimated by Sunday. If not this weekend, Zeitler will almost certainly be on the field when the Packers host the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field on Oct. 11.
Zeitler hasn’t played in a game since last year’s regular-season finale when he was with the Tennessee Titans. He suffered a quadriceps injury that would ultimately require off-season surgery, hence why he remained unsigned for so long. Without the luxury of being able to play in the preseason or in the regular season up to this point, knocking the cobwebs off could take some time.
This is also a veteran with 213 career starts we’re talking about here.
“That’s the magic question: how long does that take?” LaFleur asked, rhetorically. “We have a ramp-up plan for each individual, and we’re going to take it one day at a time.”
Here’s the full practice report for Thursday.
Limited
LB Edgerrin Cooper (Shoulder/Concussion)
EDGE Lukas Van Ness (Shoulder)
DT Karl Brooks (Illness)
OG Jager Burton (Groin)
Did Not Participate
OG Aaron Banks (Knee/Toe)
DT Warren Brinson (Calf/Groin)
DT Anthony Campbell (Ankle)
OG Jacob Monk (Quadriceps)
Zachary Jacobson is the author of The Packer Dispatch. He is entering his 12th season covering the Green Bay Packers after spending seven as the Editor-in-Chief of Packer Report. He is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America. Follow him on Twitter @zachjacobson or contact him via email at itszachariahj@gmail.com.