Packers' Zach Tom Doesn't Mince Words: 'I'm Playing Week 1'
The bookend right tackle was on the practice field Wednesday for the start of training camp after an injury-plagued 2025.
GREEN BAY, Wis. — For all the talk about who was added to the Green Bay Packers’ physically unable to perform (PUP) list this week, perhaps the conversation should shift more toward who wasn’t added.
Zach Tom, the Packers’ bookend right tackle, was seemingly gifted a clean bill of health to begin training camp. He surprisingly avoided having to sit out the first practice of the summer on Wednesday after undergoing offseason surgery for a partially torn patellar tendon.
Just over a year since inking a four-year extension worth a maximum value of $92 million, the 27-year-old isn’t mincing words on where he is in his recovery.
“It’s not an option; I’m playing Week 1,” Tom told ESPN’s Rob Demovsky.
While Tom did practice, it’s worth noting that he hasn’t elevated to team drills yet. He participated in individual drills to begin the week, but that’s likely the Packers erring on the side of caution and easing him back in before throwing a full workload at him. After all, he isn’t just a component that’s critical to the success of the Packers’ offensive line—his stabilizing presence could make or break the offense as a whole.
The former fourth-round pick faced a gauntlet of injuries in 2025. He suffered an oblique issue in the Packers’ season-opening win over the Detroit Lions and missed the Thursday night game against the Washington Commanders four days later. He was back on the field in time for a matchup with superstar pass rusher Myles Garrett and the Cleveland Browns’ tenacious defense, but aggravated the injury on the first snap from scrimmage.
The 6’4”, 304-pound Tom was absent for the next two games before returning Oct. 12 against the Cincinnati Bengals. At some point, while working his way back into the lineup, he sustained a back injury that would plague him for the remainder of the season.
It was evident.
Over the next 10 games, Tom surrendered 16 pressures, or more than one-and-a-half pressures per game. His season took a nosedive in the Packers’ Dec. 14 loss to the Denver Broncos, when Tom left the game in the first half with the aforementioned knee injury. The Packers also lost All-Pro pass defensive end Micah Parsons to a season-ending torn anterior cruciate ligament that afternoon, as well as wideout Christian Watson, who was transported to a Denver-area hospital with chest and shoulder injuries.
It was a cataclysmic day for the Packers, but all hope wasn’t lost for Tom. He did everything he could to ensure that he was able to return to action in time for the Packers’ playoff run, including undergoing a platelet-rich plasma injection. Unfortunately, it just wasn’t in the cards—Tom would watch from the sidelines in street clothes as the Packers fumbled a 21-3 lead over the Chicago Bears.
Tom was still contemplating surgery to repair the partially torn patellar tendon by mid-January. Assuming the six-month recovery timeline holds, he likely went under the knife not long after to be back on the field in time for the start of training camp.
Of the Packers’ five preferred starters along the offensive line last season, only one is being replaced: Rasheed Walker, the team’s starting left tackle for each of the past three seasons. He entered unrestricted free agency in March, ultimately signing a deal with the Carolina Panthers and allowing the Packers to plug in former first-round pick Jordan Morgan.
Morgan will be Jordan Love’s new blindside protector while Tom holds down the fort on the opposite end of the line. Aaron Banks will remain at left guard, Sean Rhyan will remain at center, and Anthony Belton is expected to remain at right guard. That continuity is imperative for any offensive line, let alone one that endured the ebbs and flows that the Packers’ starting five did last season.
“That’s what you want; you want to be able to have that continuity where you’re playing with the same guys throughout the season,” Love said at his locker after practice Wednesday. “We know injuries and things like that happen throughout the season, but it’s always a goal to try and be the healthiest team. With a lot of moving parts on the offensive line the past couple years—guys having to play multiple positions throughout the season—I know that’s a challenge.
“If they can stay at one spot throughout the whole season, that’s when you’re at your best, and I think we’ll be able to build on a lot of areas. We’ll see what happens.”