Finally: Packers Add Veteran Lineman Laken Tomlinson, But It’s Odd Fit

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers signed veteran guard Laken Tomlinson on Saturday, two days after the offensive line’s ghastly performance against the Atlanta Falcons.

Tomlinson played in 10 games with seven starts for the Houston Texans last season. This year, he was not on a roster during training camp but signed to the Dallas Cowboys’ practice squad before Week 1.

Long-time NFL guard Laken Tomlinson is being signed by the #Packers off the #Cowboys practice squad, per me and @MikeGarafolo.

At age 34, with 162 starts under his belt, Tomlinson will help an O-line that needs it. pic.twitter.com/pqTOhm5MPc
— Ian Rapoport (@RapSheet) September 26, 2026

The addition makes sense, obviously, considering the wholesale problems on the offensive line and the calamity inflicted on the offense as a whole, but the fit is interesting, to say the least. Here’s a closer look.

Laken Tomlinson’s History And Fit With Packers

Tomlinson was a first-round pick by the Lions in 2015. The 34-year-old has started 162 games in his career, including every game during the 2018 through 2024 seasons. He was a Pro Bowler for the 49ers in 2021; that team shocked the Packers in the divisional playoffs.

What’s incredibly interesting is his fit with the Packers. Of his 10,938 career snaps in the NFL, 10,867 have come at left guard. It’s been a revolving door at the position for the Packers. With Aaron Banks dealing with a knee injury, Donovan Jennings started in Week 1 while Banks was inactive against Minnesota. Banks started in Week 2 against the Jets but dropped out at halftime with a toe injury, with Jennings the next man up. He was inactive again on Thursday against the Falcons, with rookie Jager Burton making his first career start.

An "F" doesn't do it justice.

Here is our unit-by-unit Packers report card, if you're looking to increase your blood pressure on a sunny Saturday. ⬇️https://t.co/JStwp9g4eZ
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) September 26, 2026

With Jennings and Burton playing poorly in their opportunities, was general manager Brian Gutekunst looking for a long-term solution to Banks’ injury problems? Or does he think Tomlinson can take care of the team’s issues at right guard?

If that was the thinking, the better play might have been signing former Wisconsin standout and Wisconsin native Kevin Zeitler, who is a career-long right guard. Instead, Tomlinson has played 65 snaps of right guard in his career – all in 2016.

Whatever, the belief is Tomlinson will quickly emerge as one of their best five linemen and will help provide the pass protection that Jordan Love has been sorely (pun intended) lacking.

Pro Football Focus charged Tomlinson with three sacks and 11 pressures in a total of 284 snaps in 2025 with the Texans.

In playing almost 1,100 snaps with Seattle in 2024, Tomlinson was charged with six sacks, 38 pressures and five penalties. Of the 66 guards who played at least 500 snaps that season, he ranked 50th in Pro Football Focus’ pass-blocking efficiency metric, which comes sacks, hits and hurries per pass-protecting snap.

The 323-pounder has a history of being a stout run blocker, though that strength has diminished over the years.

Still, he is a solid, proven, experienced blocker who will help physically and mentally.

“Whatever it takes to win,” Tomlinson said early in his tenure with the Texans last year. “I’ve always been a team player and I’ll do whatever the coaches ask of me.”

A Durable Potential Factor

Durability has been an asset, too. He had started every game for almost a decade until last season.

“Honestly, it’s hard to remember, but sometimes I have to sit down with my wife and talk to her about it,” he told Click2Houston’s Aaron Wilson last year. “She’s kind of the numbers lady. And she was just like you keep going on your little streak. She calls it my little streak and you forget about when you started the streak, I’m like, what do you mean? She’s like, ‘You haven’t missed a start since, like, Week two in 2017.’

“I want to be there for my team. I want to be one of the guys out there that teams are relying on. I’ve always been a team guy since college, since I’ve been playing this game at a high level. And it’s just something that really matters to me. … I want to show my team that I want to be one of their guys they can count on at the end of the day. So, it means a lot to me. It really does.”

Tomlinson was a healthy scratch late last season and was released. He finished the year on the Ravens’ practice squad but didn’t play in a game.

Laken Tomlinson (75) celebrates the 49ers' victory over the Packers in the 2019 NFC Championship Game. | USA TODAY Sports

From Jamaica to Green Bay

Tomlinson was born in Jamaica and moved to Chicago when he was 10. He arrived in the winter, so it was a reality check.

“I remember getting off the plane and out of the airport, and I was like, “Wow, it’s really, really cold,’” Tomlinson told Sports Illustrated while he was at Duke.

“My first couple of months, I just stayed at my place and didn’t really go outside. Sometimes it seemed like everything was moving 100 miles per hour, and I couldn’t really catch on to things.”

As a 250-pounder, he started playing football when he was a freshman in high school. He chose Duke, where he worked toward a double major of pre-med and psychology and evolutionary anthropology.

“I would like to play football for as long as I can, whether that’s five years, 10 years, 15 years,” Tomlinson said in the SI story. “But I want to set myself up to continue leading my life once my football career is over, so obviously I’m going to keep on maintaining my interest in going to med school until I do go to med school.”

What’s Next on the Offensive Line?

The Packers will have one open roster spot when Zach Bako-Bewele lands on injured reserve. So, presumably, that will be the corresponding roster move.

The Packers’ offensive line has been terrible to start the season. That unit was charged with a ghastly 28 pressures against the Falcons on Thursday.

With Banks’ issues, Tomlinson could start at left guard, and then the Packers could choose between Belton, Jennings and Jacob Monk as the starting right guard. Or maybe the Packers will see how quickly Tomlinson can adapt to a new offense and new stance at right guard.

A potential interior of Banks at left guard, Sean Rhyan at center and Tomlinson at right guard would be big, which would help the team’s dreadful run game, and experienced, which would help Jordan Love, who was under siege against the Falcons’ blitzing, stunting defense.

“I’m not going to get into any of that stuff right now without taking a peek at the tape and doing all that,” coach Matt LaFleur said after the game of potential roster moves.

“I’m going to work with whoever’s here and we’re going to all work together to try to fix this thing. It’s three games in, certainly we’re nowhere near where we need to be, and there’s a lot of ball left in front of us.”

Belatedly due to some personal stuff, here are this week's Packers Overreactions, featuring

The offensive line
The stupidest decision from Thursday
An updated prediction for the season record ⬇️https://t.co/k7HLdg61pV
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) September 26, 2026

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