Packers sign Tomlinson as pass block rate hits historic low — SkimNews
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- Laken Tomlinson, 34, was signed by the Green Bay Packers off the Dallas Cowboys' practice squad, per NFL Network's Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo, ending a stretch that saw him go without a game since Week 17 of last season.
- Tomlinson was the 28th pick of the 2015 NFL draft by the Detroit Lions and has played 173 career games across the Lions, 49ers, Jets, Seahawks and Texans, earning a Pro Bowl nod with San Francisco in 2021.
- Green Bay has started three different players at left guard through three games, with preferred starter Aaron Banks limited to one appearance due to toe and knee injuries while first-year right guard Jacob Monk has struggled.
- Jordan Love has been hit 15 times in Week 1 against the Vikings and 12 times in Thursday's loss to the Atlanta Falcons, fueling a Packers pass block win rate of 16% — the lowest by any team through three games since ESPN began tracking the metric in 2017.
- Green Bay's run blocking has been equally poor, rushing for just 17 yards against the Falcons and averaging a league-worst 48.7 yards per game on the ground.
- Zach Bako-Bewele, the Packers' starting right tackle, was lost for the season with a knee injury in Week 2, deepening the offensive line crisis that prompted the Tomlinson signing.
Why it matters: The Packers (1-2) are turning to a 34-year-old who has not played since December because Love is taking punishment at a rate no team has matched in the eight years ESPN has tracked pass blocking — a 16% pass block win rate that ranks dead last across the league. Tomlinson gives Green Bay a proven veteran (173 career games, former Pro Bowler) to stabilize a line that has already churned through three left guards and lost its starting right tackle for the year.
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