GREEN BAY, Wis. — Signing on Wednesday and playing under the scorching Florida sun four days later presented just too quick a turnaround for 36-year-old Kevin Zeitler.
The 15-year veteran is one of the Green Bay Packers’ four scratches for Sunday’s game versus the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. He spent the week simulating right guard snaps in practice, but he’d often line up on the far right end of the offensive line with the No. 1 unit, alongside right tackle Anthony Belton.
It’ll take some time for Zeitler to get acclimated, but it’s fair to suspect that he’ll be up to speed by the time the Packers host the Chicago Bears on Oct. 11.
Three of the Packers’ four inactives were ruled out on Friday. That includes a pair of—formerly—presumed starters in Aaron Banks and Jacob Monk, the team’s left and right guards, respectively. The other is defensive tackle Anthony Campbell, while his teammate, Warren Brinson, was placed on injured reserve on Saturday.
Sans Monk, who has started all three of the Packers’ games this season at right guard, it’ll likely be Donovan Jennings at that spot against the Buccaneers. He’s spent the week practicing at right guard with the starting offense.
Banks has missed multiple weeks of practice now as he battles a toe injury. The injury occurred in the first half of the team’s Sept. 20 win over the New York Jets and was compounded by knee tendinitis that has hindered Banks since the start of training camp.
Banks, who is in the second year of a four-year contract he signed with the Packers last spring, could be seeing his starting job slip from his fingertips. The Packers signed 34-year-old Laken Tomlinson on Monday, and he’s spent the entire week practicing at Banks’ left guard spot with the No. 1 offense. By all accounts, it’ll be Tomlinson starting against the Buccaneers.
If Tomlinson plays well—and the bar is incredibly low—then Banks could find himself in a predicament. His health has already been too erratic for the Packers to trust every week throughout the season.
Here’s the full list of inactives for Sunday in Tampa Bay:
OG Jacob Monk (Quadriceps)
OG Aaron Banks (Knee/Toe)
Kevin Zeitler (Healthy)
DT Anthony Campbell (Ankle)
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.