Just three weeks into the 2026 regular season and the Green Bay Packers are already making big changes. The team continued its offensive-line overhaul Wednesday, reportedly agreeing to a deal with veteran guard Kevin Zeitler, per ESPN.
Zeitler, 36, spent last season with the Tennessee Titans, starting all 16 games in which he played. He rated out well by Pro Football Focus’ metrics, ranking as the 13th best guard in football last season.
While the move is notable, it takes on far more importance with context. With the signing, the Packers have now signed three veteran offensive lineman ahead of Week 4. The team signed guard Laken Tomlinson on Saturday and Mekhi Becton on Monday. After going through the entire offseason with one group, the Packers appear to be pivoting in a major way at the position after just three weeks.
Advertisement
There are some key reasons the team is aggressively looking for upgrades on the offensive line. Through three games, the Packers have the worst rushing output of any team. Green Bay has rushed for just 146 years, nearly 100 fewer than the next closest team. Some of that is due to personnel. The Packers have not found a suitable replacement for starter Josh Jacobs, who is on the commissioner’s exempt list after an offseason arrest.
But the majority of the fault lies with the line, which — in addition to producing awful rushing numbers — hasn’t played well in the pass game, either. The Packers had the worst pass protection metrics of any team after their Week 3 game, per PFF. The team had also allowed 51 pressures following that contest, an extremely high figure.
Those struggles have affected every part of the offense. The Packers can’t win on run plays, leading to their running backs being stopped immediately. When the team tries to pass, defenders are getting into the backfield too quickly, putting pressure on quarterback Jordan Love and resulting in him taking too many hits, even when he releases the ball.
All of that has added up to the team ranking 22nd in points per game this season.
Advertisement
While the Packers at least seem aware of the issue, it’s unclear whether their signings will be capable of turning things around. The fact that the trio were still available this deep into the season suggests other NFL teams were skeptical of all three players, even though Zeitler graded out well last season.
Getting the offense back on track would go a long way toward the Packers salvaging their season. At 1-2, the team is already at the bottom of the NFC North. There’s still plenty of time to turn that around, but early returns haven’t been promising.
It’s possible the team’s signings will right the ship. It’s also possible that it’s already too little, too late for Green Bay, which should have addressed its line in the offseason if it wanted to see significant improvement at the position.
