Packers To Sign G Kevin Zeitler

This is the latest noteworthy change up front for the Packers, whose offensive line has been a problem during their 1-2 start. The Packers lost starting right tackle Zach Bako-Bewele to a season-ending knee injury in Week 2, and they also went without injured left guard Aaron Banks last Thursday against the Falcons.

Despite its shaky line, Green Bay went into the Atlanta game as the favorite. The Packers wound up on the wrong end of a 35-14 blowout at Lambeau Field, though, and quarterback Jordan Love took a beating. The Falcons hit Love a dozen times and held the Packers to a paltry 17 rushing yards on nine attempts.

The Packers have not sat on their hands since their Week 3 drubbing, as they have since brought in Zeitler and fellow guard options Laken Tomlinson and Mekhi Becton. All three carry vast starting experience, but Zeitler stands out as the most significant addition of the three.

A Wisconsin native and former Badger, Zeitler has been a full-time starter with the Bengals, Browns, Giants, Ravens, Lions and Titans since he entered the NFL as the 27th overall pick in 2012. As PFR’s Sam Robinson pointed out on Tuesday, Zeitler has piled up 213 starts – the third most among guards in league history. Only Randall McDaniel (223) and Will Shields (220) are ahead of Zeitler, who could go by them this year.

Zeitler has appeared in at least 15 games in 12 straight seasons, a streak that has already snapped this year after he sat in free agency until the end of September. However, it goes to show how durable the 36-year-old has been during his career. And while Zeitler has only made one Pro Bowl, he has been a consistently effective starter. He remained a bright spot last year despite playing for a bottom-feeding Tennessee team, as Pro Football Focus rated him as the league’s 11th-best guard out of 79 qualifiers.

Almost all of Zeitler’s work (14,403 of 14,407 snaps) has come at right guard, as Matt Schneidman of The Athletic notes. Jacob Monk started the Packers’ first three games there, but PFF ranks him a lowly 58th out of 73 qualifying guards this year. After giving up 11 pressures against the Falcons, Monk may be headed for the bench. However, it is unclear if Zeitler will be ready to play this Sunday in Tampa Bay.

Green Bay entered the day with around $11.14MM in spending space, per Over The Cap. Financial details of Zeitler’s deal aren’t available yet, but he reportedly wanted at least $6MM. He played for $9MM last year and moved past $100MM in career earnings.