The Green Bay Packers’ offensive line has been in flux all season, and the latest development only adds to the uncertainty heading into a short week.
Anthony Belton, the player expected to fill in at right tackle for the injured Zach Bako-Bewele, appeared on Tuesday’s injury report with an elbow issue that limited his participation.
That designation is not the worst possible news, yet the timing is awkward. Green Bay hosts the Atlanta Falcons in Week 3 with little practice time remaining, so Belton’s availability Wednesday will likely decide who lines up on the right edge.
Belton is no stranger to the position even if it is not his primary home. The former second-round pick started eight games in 2025, seven of them at right guard, and entered this season with 86 career snaps at right tackle.
Because Bako-Bewele missed significant time this offseason, the coaching staff gave Belton extensive first-team work throughout the summer.
That preparation looked prescient when Bako-Bewele returned healthy for Week 1 only to suffer the same injury in Week 2. Belton stepped in against the New York Jets and performed capably in an overtime win, but the elbow problem apparently lingered afterward and now threatens to leave the Packers searching again.
The rest of the line offers little stability. Jordan Morgan is settled at left tackle and Sean Rhyan remains the center, but right guard is still unsettled and left guard has already seen three different starters in three weeks.
Aaron Banks, the intended left-guard starter, missed Week 1 with a knee injury, left Week 2 early with a toe problem, and has not practiced this week.
Donovan Jennings filled in but is dealing with a hand injury of his own; he was limited Tuesday after missing Monday.
Should Jennings also be unavailable, rookie fifth-round pick Jager Burton would become the third different left guard the Packers have used this season.
If Belton cannot go, the right-tackle options are thin. John Williams, a 2025 seventh-round selection, did not play as a rookie.
Travis Glover, drafted in 2024, has only 41 NFL snaps and nine of those at right tackle. Practice-squad tight end Dalton Cooper is another emergency possibility.
The Packers clearly hoped Belton’s extra work this summer would give them a reliable swing tackle; now they are hoping the elbow injury is minor enough that he can play Thursday night.
An already jumbled offensive line cannot afford another unexpected absence.
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