Packers Could Get Lineman Back Early in Season

The Green Bay Packers have plenty of depth at offensive tackle. That group could get deeper if the 2022 draft pick returns.

(Note: Luke Tenuta indeed made the roster as an 11th offensive lineman. He will go on injured reserve on Wednesday.)

GREEN BAY, Wis. – When Green Bay Packers offensive tackle Luke Tenuta was carted off the field with an ankle injury during the preseason opener at the Bengals, it looked as if the towering blocker had suffered a major injury.

However, there’s a good possibility Tenuta will be ready early this season. That means he could make the Packers’ initial 53-man roster on Tuesday and go on injured reserve on Wednesday. Going on IR on Tuesday would mean his season is over; going on IR on Wednesday would mean he’d miss only the first four weeks.

With the release of long snapper Matt Orzech, the Packers plan on creating a roster spot for a player like Tenuta.

Tenuta was a sixth-round draft pick last year by the Buffalo Bills. When he was released by the Bills, he was claimed off waivers by Indianapolis. The Packers, in turn, claimed Tenuta off waivers from the Colts in October.

“It’s definitely been an experience. I’m glad to be part of the journey,” he said upon joining the team.

Tenuta started 26 games at Virginia Tech. He was teammates with current Packers offensive tackle Yosh Nijman. Before the draft, he measured 6-foot-8 and 319 pounds. He’s got tackle/guard ability.

Luke Tenuta (left) and Yosh Nijman (Photo by USA Today Sports Images)

Tenuta’s got football in the DNA. He is the son of Jon Tenuta, a longtime collegiate defensive coordinator who spent the spring as defensive coordinator and linebackers coach for the USFL’s New Orleans Breakers.

“My pops was a college coach, so I moved six times as a kid, so you get used to it,” he said. “Obviously, I didn’t have to move in the middle of the fall and I was fortunate enough that I would get to stay through the school year. But I definitely got used to moving as a kid, so you pick up and go and go where the football is.”

Older brother Zach Tenuta played tight end at Marshall and Akron. Another older brother, Matt, was a 25th-round draft pick by the Kansas City Royals. His mom, Dori, played basketball at Virginia.

“It was cool. Everyone played sports. My mom and pops played sports at Virginia, and my two older brothers, one played college football and the other one’s still a professional baseball player,” he said. “Sports were everything. As much as we moved with my pops being a college coach, sports helped us make friends and all that good stuff. So, it was awesome growing up with an athletic, competitive family.”

If Tenuta returns, it would bolster the depth on the offensive line. Green Bay is especially strong at tackle with David Bakhtiari and Zach Tom backed up by Nijman, Rasheed Walker and Caleb Jones.

“Those guys, they can play,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said at the start of camp. “It’s going to be really competitive. It’s going to be fun to see. I think it helps training camp immensely because when you get to the second and third groups out there in preseason games and being able to protect the quarterback and run your offense, I think that’s important. It helps us evaluate everything. I think when you struggle there, it’s tough to evaluate some things.”

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