Brian Gutekunst spent the spring sounding convinced the Packers’ offensive line was in good shape.
“I feel really good about our whole group and the competition that's in that room.”
That was the message on the eve of the 2026 NFL Draft, and his moves backed it up. Green Bay extended Sean Rhyan, restructured Aaron Banks’ deal and then used only one draft pick on the line, a fifth-round selection of Jager Burton. Gutekunst said what he believed.
Now the front office is telling a very different story.
According to ESPN’s Jeremy Fowler, the Packers have signed veteran offensive lineman Mekhi Becton. The addition comes two days after Green Bay signed guard Laken Tomlinson from the Dallas Cowboys’ practice squad and a little more than a week after bringing in Cordell Volson to the practice squad.
That’s not depth-building. That’s a scramble. Gutekunst is loading up on guards, and it’s hard to see it as anything other than panic along the offensive line.
Becton is the classic low-risk, maybe-high-reward swing. He was written off as a draft bust after three rough seasons with the New York Jets, but the Philadelphia Eagles revived him by kicking him inside from tackle to guard in 2024.
The fit worked. Per Pro Football Focus, Becton gave up seven fewer sacks and 17 fewer pressures than he had the year before. He started at right guard for Philadelphia all season, Super Bowl LIX included.
That rebound earned him a contract with the Los Angeles Chargers in free agency, but the momentum didn’t last. In one season there, he struggled through injuries, allowed three sacks and 39 pressures, and was charged with six penalties. His 47.8 PFF pass-blocking grade ranked 72nd among 81 guards.
There is, at least, a possible explanation. Becton’s shoulder injury may have been a factor, and per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, he had only just been cleared after recovering from a torn labrum. That helps explain why he was still unsigned until now.
The Packers are clearly betting the Eagles version shows up again.
They need something to change, because the current state of the line has already turned ugly. Through three weeks, Jordan Love has been hit 20 times, the most in the league.
Daniel Jones is next with 11. Love has also been pressured 37 times, another NFL high, and his 28 percent pressure rate ranks second.
Tomlinson and Becton may not be the kind of reinforcements that make anyone forget about the great Packers lines of the past. Tomlinson is 34 and well into the back half of his career. Becton has one strong season on his résumé and is coming off a major shoulder injury.
Still, Gutekunst had to act.
Aaron Banks is supposed to be the left guard, but he can’t stay on the field. Donovan Jennings is not an NFL starter.
Jacob Monk isn’t either. Burton might get there someday, and his preseason play offered some encouragement, but he’s not ready yet.
Per PFF, Burton allowed 10 pressures in his NFL debut against the Atlanta Falcons.
The problems run deeper than losing individual matchups. The Packers’ line keeps blowing assignments and missing simple communication.
Players are getting in each other’s way. Four blockers have ended up on two defenders.
Free rushers are coming straight through the middle. Monk has stood there searching for someone to pick up while a pass rusher flies by him.
So the hope now is basic competence. Line up right.
Talk to each other. Keep Jordan Love upright long enough to function.
Whether Tomlinson and Becton can do more than that is another question, but getting the fundamentals right would already be a step Green Bay hasn’t had.
It isn’t pretty, but the Packers are trying to patch it together.
And in the process, Gutekunst has made his clearest admission yet: his confidence in the offensive line was a major mistake.
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