Two days after superstar offensive tackle Zach Tom took just one snap for the Green Bay Packers in his so-called "return" to action after missing his first game since 2022, the team signed offensive tackle Brant Banks to the active roster off the practice squad, thus fueling speculation that Tom could very well sit out Green Bay's Week 4 matchup on Sunday Night Football with the Dallas Cowboys.
Tom, of course, suffered an oblique injury during the Packers' season-opening victory over the Detroit Lions and was ruled out of their Week 2 contest against the Washington Commanders.
He himself expressed concerns about suiting up in Week 3 against the Cleveland Browns but opted to give it a go, as he felt he was needed against a menacing Cleveland defensive front that includes perennial All-Pro Myles Garrett.
Packers' Brant Banks move may hint at Zach Tom's status for Week 4
But Tom literally took one snap this past Sunday before calling it quits, and Jordan Love certainly felt the effects of his absence, taking five sacks in the 13-10 loss. Green Bay head coach Matt LaFleur, who admitted on Sunday that Tom shouldn't have taken the field, did his best to further explain the situation on Monday and did at least say that things haven't gotten worse.
"I wouldn't say he further reaggravated," LaFleur said. "It's always hard to simulate what you're going to face in a game. You'd have to ask him, but I think that the force of the guy that he's going against, it hurt him. He didn't feel like he could go."
Tom wasn't the only Green Bay offensive lineman to exit the Cleveland game early, as left guard Aaron Banks, who also sat out Week 2 with a groin injury, missed the second half with a different groin injury.
So, it's easy to understand why the Packers promoted Brant Banks from the practice squad. For those unfamiliar, Banks spent six seasons at the collegiate level, four with Nebraska and the final two with Rice, before going undrafted this past April.
Signed by the Packers as a free agent, the Houston native had a strong preseason, earning a 76.8 overall PFF grade, and was signed to the practice squad following final cuts. He was promoted to the active roster for the game against Washington but took just four snaps, all on special teams.
At the time of this writing, the Packers haven't yet released their first official injury report for the week. So, we'll obviously know a little more about the statuses of Zach Tom and Aaron Banks then. But the fact that Green Bay has added an offensive lineman to the active roster doesn't bode well.
For those wondering, as the Packers had just 51 players on the 53-man roster with Jayden Reed and Brenton Cox on injured reserve, no corresponding move had to be made following Brant Banks' promotion.