The Green Bay Packers' typically cautious medical staff gave the green light for Zach Tom to start in Week 3, but the decision immediately backfired.
Tom returned to practice this week after suffering an oblique injury in the season opener, but admitted he still had pain when running. He drew a questionable tag on the injury report before the game, with the smart move seemingly being to shut him down for another week, even with Myles Garrett on deck.
Green Bay risked it, with Tom trying to fight through the injury, but it only lasted one play.
On the Packers' opening snap, Jordan Love hit Matthew Golden for an eight-yard reception, but Tom went down and had to exit the game.
Zach Tom suffers injury on the Packers' first play vs. Browns in Week 3
Not great. Zach Tom is down after just one snap.
— Lily Zhao (@LilySZhao) September 21, 2025
Tom is able to stand on the sideline, but he remains in some discomfort. It's hard to imagine him returning to this game. Even against such a talented defensive front, the Packers can't risk losing their star right tackle to a long-term injury.
While Tom deserves credit for toughing it out and attempting to play, the Packers should've protected him. We have to hope he didn't do any further damage to the injury by trying to play.
His absence left Matt LaFleur with a tough decision, but he opted to move 2024 first-round pick Jordan Morgan to right tackle. Morgan played left tackle in college and during the preseason, but he had yet to play a single snap at either tackle position in the NFL regular season.
That changes now in a daunting matchup against the Garrett-led defense.
Much like how Micah Parsons impacts the game on the other side of the field, the Packers need a good plan for Garrett. It has been a challenge early on, and Tom's absence makes it an even scarier prospect.
Hopefully, Tom avoided making the injury any worse.