The Green Bay Packers’ offensive line entered Week 2 already viewed as a potential soft spot, and the Packers’ win over the New York Jets only deepened those concerns.
Injuries to Aaron Banks and Zach Bako-Bewele, plus an evaluation for Jacob Monk, left the unit so depleted that head coach Matt LaFleur later acknowledged the staff had a serious conversation about an unusual emergency option.
“As a matter of fact, there was a time when we were down to four o-linemen,” LaFleur said. “We were talking about putting Tucker Kraft in at tackle when Monk was getting evaluated. I had never been a part of anything like that, but it does come up from time to time.”
The Packers had already made tackles John Williams and Travis Glover inactive, leaving limited depth before the game even started. Once Banks and Bako-Bewele exited, the available replacements dwindled further.
When Monk was being checked for a stinger, tight end Tucker Kraft officially became the next body the coaches considered sliding onto the line.
Kraft’s value as a blocker made the idea less far-fetched than it sounds. He is one of the more physical tight ends in the league and can hold up in the run game and in protection. The trade-off would have been obvious: the Packers would have been taking one of their more reliable pass-catchers out of the receiving mix for a few snaps.
As it turned out, they never had to make that move. Monk returned without missing a snap. Still, Kraft’s usage told the story of how thin the line had become. He finished with just two catches for 15 yards, spending much of the afternoon staying in as an extra blocker rather than working downfield.
The shuffling continued anyway. Bako-Bewele lasted only a handful of snaps at right tackle before Anthony Belton took over for the rest of the afternoon.
Belton had seen work at tackle during the offseason because of Bako-Bewele’s injury history, and that preparation now looks like it will be put to use for the remainder of the season.
On the other side, Banks left with a toe injury at left guard. Donovan Jennings also departed, and rookie Jager Burton closed the game at the position.
What began as questions about left guard and right guard has now expanded to right tackle as well.
The Packers head into Week 3 with an offensive line that is both battered and unproven in several spots.
Kraft remaining at tight end is the preferred outcome, but LaFleur’s comments made clear how close the staff came to asking him to do something far outside his usual job description.
The next few weeks will show whether Green Bay can stabilize the line without having to reach for that kind of emergency plan again.
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