Right tackle Zach Tom suffered a partially torn patellar tendon in that nightmare game against the Broncos, but he should be good to go for the regular season.
Much of the injury talks on the Green Bay Packers last year centered around star edge defender Micah Parsons and tight end Tucker Kraft. But missing right tackle Zach Tom for the final stretch was also a huge factor in the team’s decline.Tom had a partially torn patellar tendon in Week 15 versus the Denver Broncos and, after the season, the offensive lineman said he wasn’t sure if a surgery would happen or not. Well, it did, and general manager Brian Gutekunst offered a positive update on it.
Even though the knee injury was serious, Gutekunst revealed that Tom is expected to be ready soon.“Yeah, he did, and he's doing well,” Gutekunst said when asked about the surgery. “He's an excellent player, a very experienced player. I felt we were very adequate there when [Darian] Kinnard stepped in, and we have a number of bodies that can go play tackle. But whenever you lose guys like Zach Tom, you have to adjust, and I thought we did a nice job of doing that. Fortunately, he'll be ready to roll as we get going. I give him a lot of credit, he fought his tail off to try to finish it out, and I'm very appreciative of that.”
Zach Tom’s health is huge for the team’s offensive success. First, because Tom is their most talented and consistent offensive lineman. But also because without him, Kinnard has to step in at right tackle, and that exposes the depth. With Tom back, Gutekunst feels good about the position group going into the draft.“Obviously, we've got a couple guys coming off injury, Zach and Jacob [Monk],” Gutekunst added. “I really like our starting five, and I thought Jacob did a really good job in that last game at center, so I feel really good about his ability. We're going to get [Travis] Glover back as well, Donovan Jennings, and we brought Kinnard back. I feel really good about our whole group and the competition in that room. We're always going to look to add to the offensive line. There are only so many big guys in the world that can play at a high level. But I feel good about it.”
Last July, Zach Tom signed a four-year, $88 million contract extension with the Packers. He’s now the highest-paid offensive lineman on the roster, and he’s under contract through 2029. The former fourth-round pick has been extremely important for the Packers. And thankfully for them, he’s coming back to the lineup soon.