Veteran guard Laken Tomlinson said he can bring stability, toughness and leadership to the Green Bay Packers after the team signed him off the Dallas Cowboys’ practice squad.
“I feel like I come in and provide some stability, some toughness, some leadership as well, obviously going to year 12, I’ve played a lot of ball, and I feel like I still got a lot left in the tank,” Tomlinson said in comments posted Monday by NBC26 sports reporter John Miller.
The Packers announced the signing Monday as they returned to work following a 35-14 home loss to the Atlanta Falcons on Thursday night. Green Bay also signed veteran lineman Mekhi Becton to the practice squad and placed right tackle Zach Bako-Bewele on injured reserve.
Tomlinson, 34, is in his 12th NFL season. The Detroit Lions selected him 28th overall in the 2015 draft out of Duke. He has appeared in 173 regular-season games with 162 starts and started all seven playoff games in which he has played.
He spent five seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, earning a Pro Bowl nod in 2021 when that offense led the league at 6.1 yards per play. Later stops included the New York Jets, Seattle Seahawks and Houston Texans.
Last season he started seven games for Houston before losing his job. He finished 2025 on the Baltimore Ravens’ practice squad, then signed with Dallas this month after spending the offseason and training camp unsigned.
The Packers (1-2) have struggled badly up front. They rank last in the NFL in rushing at 48.7 yards per game. They managed 66 yards on the ground in a Week 1 loss at Minnesota, 63 in an overtime win at the New York Jets and just 17 against Atlanta.
Quarterback Jordan Love has been under constant pressure. He was sacked eight times through three games and hit 34 times, including 12 in the Falcons loss. Green Bay has started three different players at left guard already this season.
Preferred starter Aaron Banks has been limited by knee and toe injuries. Donovan Jennings and rookie Jager Burton have filled in with mixed results. Bako-Bewele, considered one of the team’s better linemen when healthy, tore his patellar tendon three plays into the Jets game and is done for the year.
Tomlinson has played almost exclusively at left guard in the NFL. That experience could help him step in quickly if Banks remains limited for Sunday’s game at Tampa Bay.
He also has connections inside the Packers building. Offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich coached on the 49ers staff during Tomlinson’s first two seasons in San Francisco. Other current Green Bay assistants worked with him there as well.
Tomlinson said he trained throughout the offseason while waiting for an opportunity. He described the process as humbling but said the hunger remains.
Coach Matt LaFleur said it is too early to know whether Tomlinson or Becton will play immediately. He noted both have extensive experience and that the game should not be too big for them, though a learning curve is expected.
The Packers hope the additions can stabilize a unit that has put Love in harm’s way and left the run game near the bottom of the league. Green Bay is last in the NFC North after three weeks.
Tomlinson will wear No. 72. Whether he starts or provides veteran depth, the Packers needed bodies and experience on the interior after a chaotic start to the season.
Becton, a former first-round pick by the Jets, has started 59 regular-season games and five more in the playoffs. He missed time this year after shoulder surgery.
General manager Brian Gutekunst made the moves official Monday. The Packers released defensive tackle Eric Johnson II from the practice squad to create a roster spot.
The Packers host Chicago in Week 5 after the Tampa Bay trip. How quickly the new linemen can help will be one of the first questions of the week.
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