Zach Tom Injury Update
Zach Tom, Green Bay’s rock-solid right tackle, did in fact suffer a hip injury late in the third quarter against the Detroit Lions, and immediately everyone felt that "oh no, not again" anxiety ripple through Packers nation. So, he goes down—broadcast cuts to the sideline, and there’s Tom, riding the stationary bike, wearing that stoic look players have when they’re trying to convince themselves it’s not as bad as it could be. You just hope the guy’s been investing in good insurance and spending extra time stretching (real talk: I once pulled a hip muscle just getting off the couch, so…).
The Green Bay Packers tweeted that Zach Tom’s return is questionable
What makes this a little more nerve-wracking is that the Packers have spent all offseason touting their retooled O-line and signing Tom to a mammoth four-year, $88 million contract extension—highest signing bonus for an NFL offensive lineman, by the way. So right away, fans start texting friends, fantasy leagues light up, sports talk shows go into "next man up" mode, and Darian Kinnard is suddenly the most-searched name in Wisconsin.
This isn’t Tom’s first brush with injury (he had offseason pectoral problems last year), but seeing him go down in the opener is a gut punch. It’s never the way anyone wants to start the season. A few quick facts for your Packers trivia night:
- Tom suffered the injury while avoiding contact with Jordan Love on a busted play — classic right-tackle hustle move.
- He was officially ruled "questionable to return," and, honestly, those words always feel like code for "he’s not coming back today, folks".
When Will Zach Tom Return?
As of now, there’s no confirmed timeline for Zach Tom’s return, and yeah, everyone’s been hitting refresh on all the usual sources for updates. Team reporters noted he was up and moving, riding a stationary bike not long after being examined, which is better than the dreaded cart-off, but not exactly a green light for Thursday Night Football.
Green Bay hosts the Washington Commanders next Thursday, and if you asked around at Lambeau (I did, at a tailgate last year, which was 60% brats, 10% beer, and 30% speculation), optimism would run high, but hip injuries aren’t something a big man just shrugs off. Offensive linemen need those hips firing; you lose a fraction of lateral mobility at right tackle and suddenly defenses start feasting.
Anecdotally—because nothing is more “real-fan” than worrying from the couch—I remember seeing David Bakhtiari try to gut through a couple hip tweaks back in 2023, and he wound up missing multiple games despite “optimistic” press conferences. Sometimes linemen make miraculous recoveries, sometimes you’re just glued to injury reports for weeks.
As for official word, Matt LaFleur and Green Bay have kept things vague (like they always do) and only said Tom is “questionable,” which—let’s be honest—is NFL speak for “don’t get your hopes up for Thursday, but check Twitter every two hours just in case”.
What This Means for the Packers
Let’s be direct: Losing Zach Tom, even temporarily, disrupts what was supposed to be a locked-in protection for Jordan Love, especially against edge rushers—remember Parsons is new in Green Bay, and chemistry takes more than a few practice reps. Kinnard is a solid backup, but no team likes testing its tackle depth in Week 1.
For fantasy folks: Don’t drop Tom yet, but definitely look harder at Packers RBs going forward, since the ground game sometimes sputters when the O-line has to shuffle under pressure.
Emotionally, the timing stings, not gonna lie—there’s that cresting wave of post-offseason hope, and then, boom, hip injury. Still, Tom’s work ethic is well-known, and he’s bounced back from worse. You kind of wish you could send him a cheese curd bouquet.
Light, Probably Unhelpful Humor and Takeaways
Some fans say the stationary bike is basically “the NFL equivalent of magical healing”—if you ride it, the trainer can tell everyone you’re available for Thursday. But, after years in locker rooms, trust me: It’s mostly just to keep players from getting cold and stewing in nerves. So, Tom was moving, but if you’re prepping for your fantasy draft, maybe draft an extra lineman in Madden (I do, mainly to avoid stress).
