Tag: zach tom

Packers looking for more consistency out of Josh Myers in center competition

Josh Myers and Zach Tom are competing to be the Packers starting center. What does Matt LaFleur want out of Myers? More consistency.

The Green Bay Packers are holding a legitimate competition for the starting center position, and coach Matt LaFleur wants Josh Myers — a 23-game starter at center for the Packers over the last two seasons — to start showing more consistency.

Myers, a second-round pick in 2021, is competing with Zach Tom, who got first-team reps at center during Tuesday’s practice.

“Josh has done a really good job, but we need more consistency,” LaFleur said before Thursday’s practice. “We have complete confidence that he is fully capable of doing that, and we’ve seen that from him.”

Myers has gone relatively unchallenged at center over the last two training camps. In Tom, Myers now have a starting-caliber player competing against him for the spot, and that’s exactly how LaFleur wants it.

“It’s like every other position we have, we need to pull out the best from everybody. When you have capable people, it naturally creates competition, and it makes us a better football team when we guys pushing for starting jobs,” LaFleur said.

Myers gave up three sacks and 13 total pressures as a 17-game starter at center last season. He also received poor run-blocking grades at PFF. In terms of overall blocking grade, Myers ranked 27 out of 39 centers who played at least 300 snaps in 2022.

In other words, the Packers need to see Myers take a big third-year jump.

Complicating the center’s task in camp has been blocking the likes of Kenny Clark and T.J. Slaton. So far, an inability to keep the interior blocked up has made training camp difficult for the Packers offense.

“More consistent play. You can’t have people in the quarterback’s face,” LaFleur said. “Overall, more consistent play.”

The center’s value can’t be overstated. He handles the football on every play, directs all the communication to the other four offensive linemen and must be on the same page with the quarterback — first-year starter Jordan Love — at all times in terms of protections and calls.

What is LaFleur looking for in the center competition?

“Just a level of play that is consistent and up to the standard we have for the position. That is a key part, they are the guy talking to the other five, getting everyone on the same page.”

LaFleur said Myers and Tom will play a lot during joint practices and the preseason so the Packers have enough evaluation opportunities to determine the best center to open Week 1 against the Chicago Bears.

Packers OL Zach Tom takes first-team snaps at center on Tuesday

Let the competition truly begin at center. Zach Tom tooks snaps at center with the first-team offense during Tuesday’s practice.

Green Bay Packers offensive lineman Zach Tom took first-team snaps at the center position in place of Josh Myers during Tuesday’s fully padded practice, suggesting for the first time that a true competition is taking place in the middle of the Packers offensive line.

Tom, who is also competing to start at right tackle, made 14 starts at center while at Wake Forest. He played every position but center as a rookie for the Packers last year, but it’s possible center is his best position. The Packers are attempting to find out where he best fits into the puzzle to open 2023.

Coach Matt LaFleur often talks about finding the five best starting offensive linemen. Tom’s versatility provides unique opportunities for LaFleur and the Packers to mix and match personnel, opening the possibility that Tom, Myers and Yosh Nijman are three players competing for just two open spots.

It’s even possible the Packers already see Tom as a starter — whether it’s at center or right tackle — and the real competition is between Myers and Nijman. In other words, if Myers is a better center than Nijman a right tackle, then Tom plays right tackle, and vice versa.

Myers took snaps with the second-team offense at center but rotated in and out of the starting offense with Tom during Tuesday’s practice.

The Packers made Myers a second-round pick in 2021. He’s started 23 games over the last two seasons, including in Week 1 of his rookie season and all 17 games last year. His inconsistency through two seasons left the door open for competition at center entering Year 3.

Packers OL Zach Tom adds 15-20 pounds during offseason

Packers OL Zach Tom, who is listed at 304 pounds, said he was up to as much as 315 this offseason. He thinks the extra weight will help him in 2023.

Green Bay Packers offensive lineman Zach Tom added weight this offseason to help prepare for Year 2 in the NFL. Tom, who is possibly the favorite to start at right tackle, said Monday that he was up to as much as 315 pounds before training camp.

“Yeah, I put on like 15-20 pounds in the offseason,” Tom said. “I definitely feel bigger out there.”

Even left tackle David Bakhtiari noticed that Tom hasn’t “missed many meals” and “finally” has a little more weight on his frame entering camp.

Tom, a 2022 fourth-round pick with elite athleticism, is coming off an excellent rookie season in which he played four of the five offensive line positions and proved highly capable as a pass-blocker. So, how does the extra weight help him along the offensive line?

“I’m able to get a little more movement in the run game than I was last year. I feel like my anchor is better than it was,” Tom said.

During one-on-one periods on Monday, Tom held his own against the likes of edge rusher Lukas Van Ness.

Tom weighed 304 pounds at the NFL Scouting Combine and is still listed on the Packers roster at 304. Offensive linemen often struggle to keep on weight during the grind of the regular season, so coming in with a heavier base was important for Tom, especially if he eventually has to slide inside and play any of the interior positions.

While he knows his versatility, Tom’s focus is at right tackle, where he’s battling Yosh Nijman for the starting job. As is the case with so many second-year players, Tom arrived at training camp feeling so much more confident and comfortable with everything around him, including the playbook.

“I definitely feel more confident that I did last year,” Tom said.

A little extra weight should have Tom confident that his body is ready for the battles ahead in a 17-game season.

Zach Tom opens training camp as Packers starting right tackle

It’s only Day 1 of 2023 training camp, but Zach Tom opened as the starting right tackle for the Packers offensive line.

In the race to become the Green Bay Packers starting right tackle in 2023, second-year offensive lineman Zach Tom entered the first turn in the lead.

According to Paul Bretl of Packers Wire, Tom handled the majority of the first-team reps at right tackle during the team’s first training camp practice on Wednesday.

The starting offensive line, from left to right, to open camp: David Bakhtiari, Elgton Jenkins, Josh Myers, Jon Runyan Jr. and Tom.

Yosh Nijman, Tom’s top competition for the job, took snaps at left tackle and right tackle.

It’s possible Matt LaFleur and the Packers will go back-and-forth between Tom and Nijman depending on the day in an effort to find the best starting option at right tackle during training camp. What’s Tom’s job on Wednesday could be Nijman’s on Thursday, and so on. But Tom’s open as the starter at right tackle is notable given the fact that the two rotated throughout the offseason workout program.

Tom, a five-position player, arrived in Green Bay as a fourth-round pick last season. He played snaps at left tackle, left guard, right guard and right tackle as a rookie and proved highly capable as a pass-blocker, allowing just 12 total pressures over 489 total snaps, per PFF.

With Bakhtiari healthy, Jenkins moving back to left guard full-time and Myers and Runyan returning as starters, Tom’s best chance to crack the Packers starting line up is at right tackle, an important position. In Bakhtiari and Tom, Jordan Love could have two excellent pass-blocking tackles on the edges as a first-year starter.

The battle at right tackle might be the Packers’ most important of training camp. While general manager Brian Gutekunst brought Nijman back on the second-round restricted tender (worth over $4 million in 2023), it was Tom who opened camp as the early favorite to start. Can Nijman, who made 21 starts over the last two seasons, put up a challenge during camp, or will his primary role for the 2023 Packers be as the backup swing tackle?

Zach Tom is PFF’s breakout candidate for Packers in 2023

PFF’s breakout candidate for the Packers in 2023? Do-it-all offensive lineman Zach Tom.

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Breakout candidates in the NFL need a few things: Obvious talent, creating untapped potential, and new or growing opportunity. Zach Tom has both, which helped make him the pick as the breakout candidate for the Green Bay Packers in 2023.

Per PFF, Tom finished his rookie season with a pass-blocking grade of 82.4 when playing at offensive tackle, highlighting his obvious talent for keeping pass-rushers away from the quarterback when lined up at a premium position. Tom is also competing to be the starting right tackle for the Packers, providing the bump in opportunity, and it’s possible that, even in the scenario where he’s not the Week 1 starter, he’ll be the top backup at every position along the offensive line.

Last season, Tom played 489 total snaps over four positions along the offensive line, allowing just 12 pressures (one sack) and committing just a single penalty.

Entering 2023, Tom has a legitimate chance to be the starter at right tackle when the Packers open the season against the Chicago Bears in September.

Packers Wire’s Paul Brel noted that Tom and Yosh Nijman rotated in and out as the starter at right tackle during the offseason workout program. It’s possible the starting right tackle spot is the only position truly up for grabs, and Tom and Nijman are the obvious top two competitors entering training camp.

The guess here is that Tom was an easy pick for PFF as the Packers’ breakout candidate. He was the team’s highest-graded rookie in 2022, he plays a premium position, he’s expected to take a jump as a second-year player, he’s versatile enough to play any offensive line position, and he’ll likely be a starter to open the season. That’s a great combination for a breakout player.

What would “breaking out” include for a player like Tom? In the most simple case, it would feature Tom becoming a plus-starter at right tackle and giving the Packers five excellent pass-blockers in front of Jordan Love. In another scenario, Tom would fill in at left tackle if there’s an injury to David Bakhtiari and prove to the Packers that he’s the future at left tackle. What about a third? Tom ends up winning the starting job at center over Josh Myers and gives the Packers a big bump in the middle of the offensive line. All three are possible, although the first scenario is Tom’s easiest path to a breakout in 2023.

Packers OL Zach Tom to compete to start at right guard, right tackle or possibly center

The Packers are going to give Zach Tom a chance to win a starting job at right guard, right tackle or possibly even center in 2023.

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Second-year offensive lineman Zach Tom will get an opportunity to compete to start at three different spots for the Green Bay Packers ahead of the 2023 season.

Offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said jobs along the entire right side of the offensive line and possibly even center are up for grabs at this point of the offseason.

“We’ve got a lot of competition on the right side. Right guard, right tackle or even center,” Stenavich said Tuesday. “Zach is going to compete a lot at right guard and right tackle and possibly some at center, see how that goes.”

Tom, a fourth-round pick, played snaps at four of the five positions as a rookie last season: 295 at left tackle, 96 at left guard, 14 at right guard and 86 at right tackle.

While the right side is up for grabs, left tackle David Bakhtiari and left guard Elgton Jenkins are locked in the on the left side.

Jon Runyan Jr. (33 career starts) and Yosh Nijman (21 career starts) are the assumed starters at right guard and right tackle, respectively, and Josh Myers started all 17 games at center last season. But Tom played at a high level as a rookie and has earned a chance to beat out one of the three for a starting spot in 2023.

Stenavich said the Packers will use guys at “different spots” in an attempt to find the best starting five.

“The best five out there that gel the best and are the most physical, that’s what I’m looking for,” Stenavich said.

The Packers need a strong offensive line in front of first-year starting quarterback Jordan Love in 2023. Tom’s versatility, athleticism and ability as a pass-blocker give him a chance to be a solid starter at one of the five offensive line spots this season. The next few months and into training camp will determine how Tom, a true five-position player, fits in the offensive line puzzle to open the regular season.

Two big question marks for Packers offensive line entering free agency and draft

The Packers offensive line looks mostly solid entering the offseason, but there are a few questions needing to be answered.

The offensive line of the Green Bay Packers could be one of the most stable position groups on the team’s roster entering the offseason, but the starting five isn’t without question marks, and how general manager Brian Gutekunst approaches the group in free agency and the draft should provide some clues.

Here are two big questions the Packers need to answer along the offensive line this offseason:

Packers rookie review: OL Zach Tom

Reviewing the rookie season of Packers offensive lineman Zach Tom, a fourth-round pick in the 2022 draft.

The Green Bay Packers made 11 picks during the 2022 NFL draft: six offensive players and five defensive players.

Over the next few weeks, we’ll be going through and reviewing the 2022 season for all of the Packers’ rookies. Next up: versatile offensive lineman Zach Tom, who was the 140th overall pick by the Packers and their second fourth-round selection.

Packers OL Zach Tom handling adversity better than most rookies

Matt LaFleur on Zach Tom: “He’s stepped in there, and you talk about not flinching in any moment, he’s done that. I feel like, for the most part, he’s played at a pretty high level.”

The Green Bay Packers may have found another gem in first-year offensive lineman Zach Tom. This season it hasn’t been uncommon for Tom to fill in at multiple positions along the offensive line at a moment’s notice. But in those moments, he hasn’t looked like a first-year player.

“Certainly not like a rookie,” coach Matt LaFleur said of how Tom has handled being put into difficult situations in his first season. “He’s stepped in there, and you talk about not flinching in any moment, he’s done that. I feel like, for the most part, he’s played at a pretty high level. I’m excited about Zach and the flexibility of another guy that can come in and play multiple positions. You can’t have enough guys like that.”

The Packers have a history of drafting offensive linemen with athletic traits and positional versatility. Tom is the latest example, with a 9.59 RAS score and 37 starts at both left tackle and center during his career at Wake Forest.

When Tom arrived in Green Bay, he was basically positionless. However, when injuries struck the offensive line, it became clear that he could play just about anywhere. In five games this season, Tom has taken snaps at right guard, left guard, and left tackle.

Right off the bat, Green Bay saw a glimpse of his versatility when left guard Jon Runyan suffered a concussion in the regular season opener against the Minnesota Vikings. Tom stepped in and played 30 snaps on offense, showing the Packers he could be relied on in a pinch.

As the season has progressed, the situations haven’t gotten easier. Tom made his first-career start on only two days’ notice, and it required protecting Aaron Rodgers’ blindside. Before a Week 7 meeting with the Washington Commanders, left tackle David Bakhtiari was ruled out after experiencing discomfort in his surgically repaired knee. Again, the team turned to Tom, who answered the call by not allowing a single sack or pressure on 41 snaps in pass protection.

Most rookies would waver under similar circumstances. Meanwhile, Tom has thrived as the team’s sixth offensive lineman in less-than-ideal conditions. According to Pro Football Focus, he is tied for first as the highest-rated rookie in pass protection with only one sack and five pressures allowed in 168 pass-blocking snaps.

Now Green Bay will have to lean on Tom after an unexpected appendectomy has sidelined Bakhtiari indefinitely. Luckily, the fourth-rounder has passed every test to date.

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Filling in for another Pro Bowler, Packers rookie Zach Tom holds up against Bills

For the second week in a row, Packers rookie Zach Tom replaced an injured Pro Bowler along the offensive line.

The Green Bay Packers had to make another last-minute adjustment to their offensive line, this time just 90 minutes before their matchup with the Buffalo Bills. After landing on the injury report with a foot injury, Elgton Jenkins was ruled out for Sunday’s game, paving the way for rookie Zach Tom to make his second career start.

Last week, Tom filled in at left tackle in place of David Bakhtiari after he experienced some discomfort in his surgically repaired knee the day before the team faced the Washington Commanders. Tom did a solid job against the Commanders’ pass rush, not allowing a single pressure in 41 pass-blocking snaps, according to Pro Football Focus. His performance earned him the highest grade among Green Bay’s offensive linemen.

This week presented a new challenge for Tom, who was once again asked to step in for another Pro Bowler. Before the injury, Jenkins was scheduled to make his second start in a row at left guard after making five consecutive starts at right tackle. Jenkins had struggled in those five starts at tackle, which urged the team to move him back to left guard, where he was a Pro Bowler in 2020.

Jenkins was a limited participant in practice on Thursday and Friday before being listed as questionable on the final injury report. He went through pre-game warmups in Buffalo but was eventually ruled inactive.

Tom was the obvious choice due to his play last week and because he played 49 snaps at left guard in the final preseason game against the Kansas City Chiefs.

The fourth-round pick got off to a rocky start against the Bills after he missed a block that allowed Aaron Rodgers to get sacked on the first series. The negative play forced the Packers into a 3rd and 15 and led to a turnover on downs.

However, Tom did eventually settle in. He did an outstanding job as a run blocker to help Green Bay’s rushing attack total 208 yards on the ground. Despite giving up a sack and a pair of pressures, Tom received the second-highest grade along the Packers’ offensive line behind only Bakhtiari.

Known for his versatility coming out of Wake Forest, Tom’s skillset is already paying off in a big way for Green Bay. It will be interesting to see if he remains with the starters once everyone is healthy.