The Green Bay Packers are facing renewed questions regarding their offensive line rotation after relying on right guard Travis Glover during Sunday’s loss to the Detroit Lions while keeping veteran guard Kevin Zeitler inactive. Green Bay signed Zeitler to a one-year, $4 million contract less than a month ago specifically to bring stability to the interior of the offensive line.
While Glover provided an early-season upgrade over Jacob Monk and helped stabilize the position for a stretch, his recent performances have dropped significantly. During Sunday’s game at Ford Field, Glover led all Packers offensive linemen by allowing six pressures. No other lineman on the team gave up more than four pressures. According to grading metrics from PFF, Glover posted a 40.6 pass-blocking grade, which ranked as the second-lowest on the team just ahead of John Williams, who was forced into action as the third-string center.
Over the past three weeks—a stretch that included victories over the Chicago Bears and Dallas Cowboys alongside the defeat against Detroit—Glover has surrendered 11 pressures. No other player on the Packers roster has allowed more than eight pressures over that same three-game window.
Following the game, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur addressed the roster math that kept Zeitler off the gameday active list. The team needed versatile interior backups who could snap the ball after losing multiple centers during the contest. Green Bay dressed John Williams, Jacob Monk, and Aaron Banks as backup linemen, which left no active roster space for Zeitler, who does not play center.
“Getting Banks back was part of that, and you need guys who can come in and snap the ball and play center,” LaFleur explained after the game, praising Williams for handling operations and communication in a hostile environment after losing two centers quickly.
Quarterback Jordan Love voiced support for his teammate when asked about the offensive line decisions. “We’ll see. I think Travis has been doing a good job and I have a lot of faith that the coaches will put the best guys out there,” Love said. “Trav has been doing a great job. If Kevin gets an opportunity, we’ll roll with that. We’ll take it week by week and go from there.”
With sufficient time having passed for Zeitler to complete any necessary ramp-up period, observers note that Green Bay must decide whether to deploy the veteran or clarify why he remains on the sideline. If coaching staff doubts Glover and remains hesitant to deploy Zeitler immediately, alternative alignments could include shifting Aaron Banks or Laken Tomlinson to the right side. Tomlinson has prior experience playing on the right side earlier in his career.
The Packers are scheduled to play the Carolina Panthers on Thursday, making any immediate lineup adjustments difficult before the ensuing mini-bye period.
