Kevin Zeitler’s arrival gave the Packers a much-needed answer on the offensive line, but Travis Glover has helped buy them something almost as valuable: time.
Green Bay brought Zeitler in on September 30 as part of a desperate effort to patch up what had been the league’s worst offensive line. He still hasn’t played, but the unit has looked better since then. A big reason is the work of Glover, who has slid into the right guard spot and steadied things after replacing an injured and badly ineffective Jacob Monk.
Glover, a 2024 sixth-round pick, probably isn’t a long-term fix. But he has been serviceable while Zeitler works his way back into game shape, and that matters. It gives the Packers room to let Zeitler get ready properly instead of rushing him onto the field before he’s at his best.
The results have been good enough for Green Bay to hold off. Glover has started Week 4 against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers and then again last week against the Chicago Bears. Pro Football Focus has not loved the performance, grading him at 49.0 overall, which ranks 66th among 75 qualified guards.
Even with that, the Packers have reason to feel better about the spot than they did before. If Glover is indeed the league’s 10th-worst guard, that still looks like a clear improvement over Monk, whose PFF grade sits at 50.4, and Jennings, who played mostly left guard but logged seven snaps on the right side and finished at 39.5. The numbers may not be pretty, but the eye test has told a clearer story: Glover and Tomlinson have lifted the group simply by avoiding the kind of collapse that was happening before.
Offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said Glover is more comfortable on the interior, and that the team had even worked him at tackle during training camp because of depth issues. That versatility has helped Green Bay keep things afloat while waiting on the veteran addition.
Zeitler, meanwhile, has not been a full-speed option yet. He got a few special-teams reps against the Bears, but the 36-year-old spent the offseason unsigned before finally joining the Packers. The team has not made a decision on his Week 6 status against the Dallas Cowboys, and there’s no sense in forcing it if he’s still shaking off rust in practice.
After 15 seasons and 213 starts, Zeitler isn’t a player who should be hurried. Glover has done enough to make patience workable.
He may not be a starting-caliber offensive lineman, but at this point in his career, Zeitler might not be one either. The key is that Glover has already been better than the alternatives, and once Zeitler is fully ready, he should be the upgrade Green Bay has been waiting for.
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