GREEN BAY - Matt LaFleur still isn’t ready to say whether the Packers will have Aaron Banks or Zach Bako-Bewele when they open the 2026 season on the road against the Minnesota Vikings on Sept. 13.
Both linemen have missed practice time while recovering from knee injuries, and LaFleur’s answer on their availability was as direct as it was short: “we'll see.”
That uncertainty has forced Green Bay to shuffle pieces up front during camp. Anthony Belton has stepped in at right tackle for Bako-Bewele, Jacob Monk has handled right guard, and rookie Jager Burton has logged a heavy workload at left guard.
“It’s hard to build continuity if you don’t have five guys out there, but it is what it is,” LaFleur said. “We’re not the only team faced with those circumstances, and you’ve got to try and make the best of it.”
Even with those moving parts, LaFleur said the Packers are already well into their Week 1 prep. He described a “significant chunk” of the game plan as being in place, and said last week’s work added to some familiarity the team built during the offseason.
“I think the early part of the season is always a big challenge,” LaFleur said. “Hopefully we’ve done a good enough job in presenting our team, whether it’s offense, defense or special teams, with a bunch of different looks to get them prepared for that moment.”
The Packers also revealed their five captains for the 2026 season: quarterback Jordan Love, linebacker Zaire Franklin, tight end Tucker Kraft, linebacker Isaiah McDuffie and safety Xavier McKinney.
LaFleur confirmed the team chose to go with season-long captains this year. Last season was the first time since 2022 the Packers used permanent captains with C’s on their jerseys. That group included Love, Kraft, McKinney, McDuffie, Josh Jacobs, Rashan Gary and Quay Walker.
Green Bay also added two players to its practice squad last week. One of them, Lenny Krieg, is a first-year kicker from Berlin, Germany who rejoined the Packers after a brief stop earlier in training camp.
Krieg spent last season on the Atlanta Falcons practice squad. The other addition was Scott Daly, a sixth-year long snapper who has spent time with the Chicago Bears and Detroit Lions.
LaFleur was also asked about the Wisconsin-Notre Dame game on Sept. 6, the college matchup that brought another football crowd to Lambeau Field before the Packers’ season even began. He said the atmosphere stood out, even if the turf took a beating.
“It was pretty cool, I just didn’t love all the wear and tear on the field, but it is what it is,” he said with a laugh.
“I’m sure [Packers field manager] Allen [Johnson] is out there right now getting it in tip-top shape.”
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