The Green Bay Packers will begin training camp without several key starters, including Micah Parsons, Tucker Kraft, Javon Hargrave, and Aaron Banks. The team placed five players on the PUP list, with Parsons expected to join them.
Notably, Zach Tom is not among them.
Tom missed the Packers' final four games last season, and they lost all of them. He suffered a partially torn patellar tendon, which is a significant injury and required a lengthy recovery. Tom is seemingly good to go.
Zach Tom injury update is huge news for the Packers entering training camp
We'll get a better idea of Tom's status once players and coaches meet with reporters this week, but the fact that he didn't need a stint on the PUP list is significant. It would suggest he is ready to go and is on track to play in Week 1.
Considering how poorly the offensive line played last season, and the constant rotation Matt LaFleur had to make due ot the injuries, getting Tom back at right tackle is a game-changer.
There are questions at all four starting positions next to Tom, but he gives them dominant play at a key position.
According to Pro Football Focus, Tom allowed zero sacks and just one quarterback hit on 351 pass-block snaps last season. Bear in mind that before his season-ending injury, he also suffered a torn oblique in Week 1, and later played with a back injury. It still didn't prevent Tom from enjoying the best season of his career.
PFF just ranked the top 32 tackles in the league ahead of the new season, with Tom receiving his flowers at No. 10. He is ahead of some notable names, like the Minnesota Vikings' two-time Pro Bowler Brian O'Neill and the Chicago Bears' ascending star Darnell Wright, who earned second-team All-Pro honors last season.
As a whole, it's fair to say the Packers have the worst offensive line in the NFC North. At least for now. There are simply too many questions they need to answer.
Is Jordan Morgan good enough to step in at left tackle? Can Banks bounce back? Did the Packers make the right call to re-sign Sean Rhyan after he made only seven starts at center? Will Anthony Belton improve on a difficult rookie season?
The offensive line faces a ton of uncertainty. But that doesn't include Tom. He's a star.
Tom overcame injuries to deliver the best season of his career in 2025. Now finally healthy, the Packers will need him to find that level again this fall.
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