Tag: zach tom

Packers excited about Rasheed Walker and Zach Tom at offensive tackle

Rasheed Walker and Zach Tom provide stability for the Packers at offensive tackle entering the 2024 season.

The Green Bay Packers want to keep building competition along the offensive line in an attempt to find the “best five,” a phrase often used by coach Matt LaFleur, but general manager Brian Gutekunst feels good about what he has in Rasheed Walker and Zach Tom at the offensive tackle spots entering the 2024 offseason.

Walker, a seventh-round pick in 2022, took over for David Bakhtiari at left tackle entering Week 2 and improved greatly down the stretch. Tom, a fourth-rounder in 2022, started all 19 games at right tackle and played at a near Pro Bowl level. Walker might have been the team’s most improved player overall; Tom might have been the team’s top breakout player not named Jordan Love.

While Bakhtiari’s roster status remains in question to start the offseason, the Packers believe Walker has a “bright future” and the ability to play offensive tackle on both sides of the line.

“I think he did a great job,” Gutekunst said Thursday. “You have to give the kid a lot of credit. First of all, his work ethic over the offseason and how tremendously he improved. He fought through some things this year injury wise, he was a warrior out there. He’s done a great job, I’m really glad we have him. I think he can play left and right. We’ll see how it all shakes out…he did a lot of good things. He’s got a bright future and he’s only going to get better. We’re excited about him.”

Walker didn’t play as a rookie and entered training camp as no better than the third option at left or right tackle. But he overtook Yosh Nijman in training camp and became a vital piece of the offensive line puzzle in 2023.

After some expected ups and downs during the first two months spawned a brief rotation with Nijman at left tackle, Walker allowed only 16 total pressures and committed only three penalties over the Packers’ final 10 games, including the playoffs.

Tom might have been one of the NFL’s most underrated offensive tackles in 2023. Among all offensive tackles with at least 600 snaps, Tom ranked fifth in run-blocking grade, 14th in pass-blocking efficiency and tied for fifth in penalties.

Tom is also one of the NFL’s most versatile linemen, but the Packers might be hard-pressed to move him after such an impressive season at right tackle.

“He played really well at right tackle this year, so to move him around I think will be hard on the coaching staff,” Gutekunst said. “At the same time, he’s a guy that can play all five spots and he can be really good at all five of them. It’ll be dependent on what we have and where we need him.”

Gutekunst said he wants to continue building out the offensive line to ensure competition is available at every spot. If the Packers believe Walker can play both sides of the line and Tom is a candidate at all five spots, it’s possible a future scenario exists where the team moves Walker to the right side and Tom to an interior position like center and then uses a high draft pick on a long-term left tackle. But having Walker and Tom coming off such encouraging seasons provides stability at two premium positions entering the offseason.

“I think we’re going to try and get the five best guys we can out there at all times,” Gutekunst said. “It’ll be our job to bring in some guys and have healthy competition there.”

Nick Bosa provides another ‘great test’ for Packers OT Zach Tom

Packers RT Zach Tom is battle tested, and now he’ll face top edge rusher Nick Bosa in San Francisco.

Another week, another difficult matchup for Green Bay Packers right tackle Zach Tom, who will have to contend with edge rusher Nick Bosa and the San Francisco 49ers’ defensive front.

Bosa finished the regular season with 95 pressures, the third-most among all edge rushers. The majority of Bosa’s snaps came lined up on the left side of the defensive front, which would pair him with Tom. However, the 49ers do some rotating as well.

So, in addition to having to face Bosa, Tom will also have to deal with Chase Young and Randy Gregory. Young recorded the 17th most pressures at edge rusher in 2023, while Gregory has taken on a rotational role since joining the team in Week 6.

“Big, strong, quick,” said Jon Runyan of the 49ers pass rush. “They rush the passer as good as anyone and try to get off the ball as fast as possible. They’re strong and fast. They got some first-round picks all over their defensive line, so it’s another exciting challenge for us.”

This certainly won’t be the first top-edge rusher that Tom has had to face this season. Tom is coming off a matchup with Micah Parsons, who recorded only one pressure against the Packers, and at various points, he’s also faced Aidan Hutchinson, Maxx Crosby, Khalil Mack, TJ Watt, and Danielle Hunter, all of whom rank in the top 10 in pressures generated this season.

Overall, Tom has surrendered only two sacks the entire season, and he ranks 18th out of 89 eligible offensive tackles in PFF’s pass-blocking efficiency metric.

“I have all the confidence in the world in Zach,” said offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich on Wednesday. “Bosa is a great player. This is gonna be a great test for Zach, and it’s gonna be a great matchup. We had Parsons last week, now you got Bosa this week, and as you go in the playoffs, you’re gonna face those great defenses and those great D-linemen. It’s just another test for him.”

Of course, it’s not only Tom on the Packers’ offensive line that has the challenging matchup. Whether its Bosa or Young lined up on Tom, that means the other will be facing Rasheed Walker.

Walker has navigated well the learning curve that comes with being a first-time starter in the NFL and is playing his best football right now. After beginning to rotate series with Yosh Nijman in Week 9, Walker eventually won the left tackle job outright. Since Weeki 15, he has given up only one sack and, on average, is allowing fewer than two pressures per game, including none against Dallas.

Then, along the interior are Javon Hargrave, Arik Armstead, and Javon Kinlaw, who all rank 12th, 25th, and 39th, respectively, among all interior defensive linemen in pressures generated.

“Man, that’s a really good group,” said Josh Myers. “And the threats they have, like Fred (Warner) at linebacker, some of those third down blitz packages they’ve got Chase Young on one side, Nick Bosa on one side and then Fred is standing over you. It’s like Jesus. Yeah man, they are super talented,. They play well together. It’s a great front.”

Jordan Love is about as well-equipped as any quarterback can be to handle potential pressure, with him being one of the most efficient quarterbacks in football when under duress since Week 14. But even so, that doesn’t mean the Packers want him dealing with pressure constantly against San Francisco.

As is the case just about every week, success for the Packers offense starts up front with the offensive line. Love regularly being hurried while facing one of the NFL’s top pass defenses is likely not a recipe for success. Having a run game to lean on will be vital as well to help open up opportunities in the passing game and to keep the Packers out of long down-and-distance situations.

“You look at their roster,” added Stenavich, “and not only are most of them first-round picks, but most of them are top-10 picks. So they have talent. They have a lot of talent. I have a lot of respect for how they’re coached. I have a lot of respect for how they play.

“They play physically. They get up the field. They do a really good job in their scheme, so it’s going to be a huge challenge for us. I’m excited for that challenge. This young group that we have, I’m really excited to see how they come out there and how they play. It’s going to be a great environment vs. a really good opponent, so it’s going to be a huge test for us.”

Zach Tom, Rasheed Walker ascend as Packers OT tandem in Year 2

Zach Tom broke out as one of the best OTs in football, and Rasheed Walker was excellent down the stretch at LT. The Packers’ tandem ascended in Year 2.

Zach Tom made good on his potential to become the team’s breakout player, and Rasheed Walker would likely win the prize as the team’s most unexpected starter. The playoff-bound Green Bay Packers got an excellent second season from Tom at right tackle and used vast improvement from Walker during his first season as the starter at left tackle to take off down the stretch in 2023.

The ascending second-year offensive tackle tandem finished the regular season in excellent form and will now prepare to take on Micah Parsons and the Dallas Cowboys in the wildcard round.

Tom, a fourth-round pick in 2022, played over 1,000 snaps at right tackle and gave up only two sacks. He remained trustworthy as a pass-blocker and made drastic improvements as a run blocker, helping fuel a final ranking as the NFL’s No. 11 overall offensive tackle in terms of grade at Pro Football Focus. In true Bakhtiarian fashion, Tom quietly got the job every week. He gave up 33 total pressures, but over a third of those pressures came while he battled through a knee injury and faced a tough stretch of rushers, including Aidan Hutchinson and Maxx Crosby. Only once has Tom been beaten for a sack since the start of November.

Speaking of late-season surges, Walker — a seventh-round pick in 2022 — has been excellent since Week 9. In fact, according to Pro Football Focus, Walker allowed just 16 pressures and ranked as the sixth-best offensive tackle in all of football by overall grade over the final 10 weeks. Struggles during the first half of the season led to rotating snaps with Yosh Nijman for a stretch, but Walker rose to the challenge and has re-gained his status as a full-time player at left tackle over the last five games. After committing eight penalties during his first eight games, Walker has just two over the final nine. Like so many others on the roster, experience has allowed Walker to settle in and play at a higher level.

For as much as Jordan Love and the young wide receivers and tight ends deserve credit for their ascension during the second half of the season, it would be foolish to overlook the importance of Tom and Walker to establishment of stability along the offensive line for both Love and the passing game and even the run game down the stretch.

It will be interesting to see how the Packers construct the offensive line in 2024 and beyond. Tom’s performance at right tackle in 2023 would make him difficult to move even considering his unique versatility. He’s too good at mirroring rushers to play anywhere but tackle. While David Bakhtiari might return to Green Bay next season, his future remains cloudy, and Walker’s improvement gives the Packers an incredibly valuable option at left tackle.

First things first: a trip to Dallas. The Packers must keep Love protected to beat Parsons and the Cowboys on Sunday. Can Tom and Walker rise to the occasion against one of the NFL’s most disruptive defenses in their first playoff start? The performance of both during the second half of the season gives the Packers a real chance at hanging with the NFC East champions at AT&T Stadium in the wildcard round.

Packers OT Zach Tom fined $5K for late hit in Week 11

Packers OT Zach Tom became the sixth different Packers player to be fined this season after an unnecessary roughness play in Week 11 vs. the Steelers.

Green Bay Packers offensive tackle Zach Tom was fined $5,534 by the NFL for unnecessary roughness during Week 11 of the 2023 season.

The penalty on the play in question was wrongfully called on Elgton Jenkins. After Jordan Love threw the game-ending interception as time expired in the fourth quarter, Tom hit Pittsburgh Steelers safety Damontae Kazee a step or two out of bounds and late. The action was reviewed and determined to fall under the league’s “gameday accountability” umbrella, subjecting Tom to a fine. Jenkins was not fined.

Tom’s late hit drove Kazee into a Steelers assistant coach, causing an injury and a skirmish featuring multiple players on the sideline to end the game.

Steelers edge rusher Nick Herbig was fined for unnecessary roughness in the second quarter of the game. His action was a blindside block on a punt return.

Tom is the sixth different Packers player to be fined this season. The team’s most recent fine arrived for Rashan Gary for a face mask penalty in Week 9.

The league is posting all fined penalties and actions from the previous week on Saturdays this season.

From the NFL: “Players subject to accountability measures receive a letter informing them of what they did, a video of the play in question, why they are being fined and how much it will cost them. They also receive information on how to appeal the fine. If they choose not to appeal, the fine is withheld from their next game check.”

All appeals are handled appeals officers James Thrash and Derrick Brooks, two former players appointed by the NFL and NFLPA. Fines are donated to the Professional Athletes Foundation.

Packers Wire will track the on-field penalties and resulting fines in recurring posts each week.

Week 1: LB De’Vondre Campbell ($10,927), CB Rasul Douglas ($13,659)
Week 3: CB Rasul Douglas ($11,473), TE Ben Sims ($4,167)
Week 8: OLB Kingsley Enagbare ($5,170)
Week 9: OLB Rashan Gary ($10,927)
Week 11: OT Zach Tom ($5,534)

4 Packers players to watch vs. Chargers

The Packers have a couple of standout players on offense and defense.

The Chargers and Packers face off on Sunday as Los Angeles looks to bounce back from their loss to the Lions and get back into the playoff mix.

While Green Bay might be 3-6, they have some players that could pose a challenge for the Bolts.

Zach Tom nearly causes brawl at end of Steelers-Packers game

The Steelers win over the Packers almost ended in an ugly brawl on the sidelines.

You hate to see a game that was so well played end ugly, but that is what happened between the Pittsburgh Steelers and Green Bay Packers on Sunday. The Steelers and Packers traded punches all game long with Pittsburgh coming out on top after a game-ending interception by safety Damontae Kazee.

But rather than having the game just end and the Steelers celebrate moving to 6-3 on the season, Packers offensive lineman Zach Tom opted for a cheap shot on Kazee out of bounds after that interception and nearly started a brawl on the Steelers sideline. If you are going to do something like that, you might want to plan better and do it on your own sideline. The Steelers swarmed Tom, and his teammates quickly pulled him from danger.

This week the Steelers hit the road after three home games in a row and take on the red-hot Cleveland Browns.

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Packers OT Zach Tom has faced gauntlet of pass rushers this season

Packers RT Zach Tom will face another elite edge rusher on Sunday in Pittsburgh. T.J. Watt is the next in a long line so far this season.

Green Bay Packers right tackle Zach Tom has been put through the pass-rusher gauntlet this season, and that’s going to continue on Sunday against Pittsburgh, who features TJ Watt and Alex Highsmith at the edge rusher position.

Of the top 25 edge rushers in total pressures accumulated this season, according to PFF, Tom and the Packers offensive line has faced six of them already, and that total will be at eight by Sunday afternoon.

1. Maxx Crosby (Las Vegas)
3. Aidan Hutchinson (Detroit)
9. TJ Watt (Pittsburgh)
14. Cameron Jordan (New Orleans)
14. Alex Highsmith (Pittsburgh)
17. Carl Granderson (New Orleans)
19. Danielle Hunter (Minnsota)
23. Byron Young (Los Angeles)

“He’s had a really good streak of challenges,” said offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich of the pass rushers Tom has faced, “and I think he’s done an awesome job. He had a good challenge versus Maxx Crosby. Obviously, this week, TJ Watt. That’s going to be a big one for him.

“But I just like how he’s handled himself. A guy that prepares in the right way every week. Plays with the right attitude, the right mentality, and he’s a pro. You can see him just keep getting better and better as the season goes on. All of these games are so useful for him, just in terms of building that confidence and just going out there and having the belief in yourself that you can play against anybody.”

Tom has allowed the most pressures on the team this season with 17, which, in part, reflects the level of competition that he’s gone up against. It hasn’t always been smooth, and it’s not going to be when facing the game’s top pass rushers as often as Tom has. However, he’s also been the Packers’ most consistent offensive lineman this season, and his overall pass-blocking grade from PFF reflects that as the highest on the team, excluding David Bakhtiari.

The Packers had several opportunities over the summer to move Tom to center, where he played over 1,200 career snaps at Wake Forest, or at least increase the level of competition there. However, they chose to keep him at right tackle, a position that is relatively new to Tom and one that is shaping up to be a long-term home for a very versatile player.

Tom’s success this season, whether it be in transitioning from the left side of the line to the right or in holding his own against some of the game’s top pass rushers, begins with his preparation.

Following Thursday’s practice, Tom was sitting at his locker watching film of that day’s practice on his iPad, critiquing and analyzing every move he made. He can’t wait for the post-practice meeting to go through the tape with the rest of the offensive line room, which will take place a short while later. Instead, he wants the tape immediately, and it’s that attention to detail and accountability that is setting him apart.

”In order to be a really good professional player,” said Stenavich, “you can have the coach sit there and tell you what you’re doing wrong and yell at you, try and get you to correct stuff. But if you can watch the film yourself and say, alright, this is what I need to work on. This is what I need to keep doing well. If you can self-control that, those are the guys that I think are going to be elite players.

“A guy that comes to mind is David Bakhtiari. One of the most intellectual players I’ve ever been around. Just with how his technique is, his opponent, and all that. I think that’s rubbed off on some of these guys. Just how in-depth you have to be to study yourself so that, number one, you’re putting yourself in the best position to be successful, and you’re not allowing the opponent to be successful by messing up with some fundamental stuff.”

As we saw on Sunday against the Los Angeles Rams, success for Jordan Love and the offense as a whole begins with the play of the offensive line. Versus the Rams, Love was pressured on only seven of his 31 dropbacks, and not surprisingly, we saw a more efficient and decisive version of Love, who had improved decision-making as well.

On the other end of that spectrum, when Love is under frequent pressure, which was too often the case during the Packers’ four-game losing streak, he looks rushed, the play doesn’t have time to fully develop, he hasn’t always gone through his progressions, and that results in poor decisions and interceptions.

Along with facing Watt and Highsmith at the edge rusher position, this is a Steelers front that does a good job of generating push from the interior, especially with Cam Heyward back in the mix, and this is a defensive unit that ranks third in blitz rate this season. Not only Tom but the offensive line as a whole will have their hands full. When facing an opponent that’s able to generate pressure as often as the Steelers do – at the sixth-highest rate in football – it affects everything that the offense does, both pre-snap and as the play is unfolding.

”I think it affects a lot,” said Love on Wednesday about facing a stout pass rush. “Offensively, the protection, where we are sliding to, making sure we are getting as many hands-on those guys. Just always knowing where they are at. Knowing how they like to rush. Just watching them throughout the week and what they like to do.

“Like I said, you just have to have a feel for where they are at. TJ’s a great player. Plays with really good effort on every play, and I think their whole defense does a good job of that. Just something we’ve got to be able to match that.”

Having a good game plan for this Steelers’ front is going to be a must. Getting the run game going and utilizing the quick game and tight end chips will be a couple of ways to help take some of the burden off Tom and the offensive line at times. It’s going to be another difficult matchup for Tom, the offensive line, and the offense overall, but what we do know is that Tom will be prepared, and as Love said earlier in the week, “that’s the NFL.”

Packers RT Zach Tom confident he’s over knee injury

Packers RT Zach Tom on recovering from his knee injury during the bye: “I feel close to 100 percent.”

Aaron Jones wasn’t the only injured player on the Green Bay Packers offense to get healthy during the bye week. Right tackle Zach Tom is confident his injured left knee is now close to fully healed coming out of the bye and entering Sunday’s showdown against the Denver Broncos.

“I feel like I’m close to 100 percent,” Tom said Thursday.

The Packers removed Tom from the injury report to start Week 7.

Tom injured his knee in Week 3 against the New Orleans Saints but has played — with a brace — during each of the Packers’ last two games. Tom believes he’ll be able to shed the brace and play unhindered against the Broncos.

“The big thing, with the bye week, was resting it. We didn’t have any practices or games,” Tom said. “It allows you heal. It feels much better.”

In the two games since the injury, Tom allowed four pressures against the Detroit Lions and five pressures against the Las Vegas Raiders while battling Aidan Hutchinson and Maxx Crosby. According to PFF, Tom’s two worst pass-blocking grades of the 2023 season came in the two games after the knee injury.

Tom admitted wearing the brace added extra weight to his left leg and made it more difficult to push off the leg in pass protection. With a healthy knee and no equipment weighing him down, it’s possible Tom will look more like the dominant pass-blocker he was to start the 2023 season.

Over the first three games, Tom allowed just two pressures and was one of the top-rated right tackles by PFF’s pass-blocking grade.

On Sunday, Tom will get a matchup against Nik Bonnito and Jonathan Cooper, two emerging young pass-rushers for the Broncos. Bonnito and Cooper play both sides of the line of scrimmage. Can Tom — now healthy coming out of the bye — lock down the right side for Jordan Love?

Peyton and Eli Manning roasted a Packers offensive lineman’s terrible flop that sparked a Raiders penalty

The Mannings know a flop when they see one.

During Monday night’s latest edition of the ManningCast, Peyton and Eli Manning had some fun roasting a Green Bay Packers offensive lineman for a terrible flop.

On one of the sillier fouls you’ll see this season, Las Vegas Raiders defensive end Maxx Crosby got called for unsportsmanlike conduct for making contact with Packers offensive tackle Zach Tom.

Well, Tom embellished the contact to the extreme when he flopped on his front side to the ground before the flag was called.

It clearly wasn’t unsportsmanlike conduct, but the referees decided to call it anyway because of Tom’s theatrics. The Mannings didn’t let Tom off the hook for this one, pointing out exactly what had happened on the field.

The Mannings, like all of us at home, know a flop when they see one, and they certainly weren’t going to let this one slide.

The Packers might’ve gotten some yardage out of this, but they also got a lowlight rightfully called out by the ManningCast.

Feature image courtesy of ESPN.

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Packers offensive coordinator gives honest assessment of OT Yosh Nijman

Adam Stenavich on Yosh Nijman becoming a backup: “Football is a very competitive sport and some guys rise to that competition and some guys don’t.”

Offensive tackle Yosh Nijman started 13 games for the Green Bay Packers last season. To start this season, he’s backing up Zach Tom after losing the competition at right tackle.

Nijman’s starting spot appeared to be in jeopardy after he struggled toward the end of the 2022 season. During Green Bay’s season-ending loss to the Detroit Lions, Nijman allowed two sacks and was eventually benched in favor of Tom, who was a rookie at the time.

Heading into the offseason, the Packers still had faith that Nijman would turn his play around, eventually using a second-round restricted tender to keep him in Green Bay for 2023. Throughout the spring and summer, he was given plenty of opportunities to win his job back but was unable to overtake Tom.

When asked about Nijman on Friday, offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich gave a pretty dim answer.

“Right now, he’s a backup tackle for us,” Stenavich said Thursday. “That’s where he’s at and football is a very competitive sport and some guys rise to that competition and some guys don’t, so that’s basically what I have to say about that.”

It was an honest response about a player who had shown a ton of potential early in his career. Stenavich was the offensive line coach when Nijman arrived as an undrafted free agent in 2020 and had a hand in him developing into a reliable starter.

Unfortunately, since the end of last season, Nijman has continued to fall down Green Bay’s depth chart.

Tom will start Week 1 against the Bears at right tackle.

“I think, Zach, right from the start was determined to grab hold of that position,” Stenavich said. “It’s a testament to him and his mindset.”

Nijman was the starting left tackle in place of David Bakhtiari for the first preseason game against the Cincinnati Bengals. However, by the second game, former seventh-round pick Rasheed Walker had replaced Nijman in the “starting” lineup.

What the future looks like for Nijman and the Packers is unclear. He was once considered a viable trade candidate, but after Stenavich’s latest comments, it’s tough to say if any tackle-needy teams would have any interest. At this point, Green Bay may just want to hold on to him in case of emergency.