Paul Bretl | 6/26/2025
GREEN BAY, Wis. — Including the playoffs, Packers’ right tackle Zach Tom made 18 starts last season and played 1,134 total snaps on offense and another 89 on special teams.
If only looking at that information, one could easily forget that Tom navigated a torn pectoral muscle last offseason that forced him to miss part of training camp.
“Credit to the training staff, strength staff, everybody,” said Tom of his recovery last season. “And credit to me, not to toot my own horn.”
Tom later added: “Honestly, once I came back, I mean, it wasn’t perfect, but you’re just playing football. You’re trying to, at least. I try not to think about injuries because everybody’s going through something.”
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As Tom said, injuries will never be an excuse–many players have to work through them over the course of a season. But he did notice at times last year where his “technique might have suffered” as he worked his pec injury back to full strength.
“That was probably something that was more just happening just naturally,” Tom said of his technique. “It’s not like I was trying to do anything differently because of the injury. But, like I said, I’m not going to sit over here and make excuses or anything.”
However, even with that being the case and having to deal with an injury during the offseason and an expedited ramp-up period heading into the 2024 season, as Tom had done in his first two NFL seasons, he made strides and operated at a high level.
Tom would rank 18th last season among all offensive tackles in ESPN’s pass block win rate metric, which as it sounds, measures how often a lineman is able to hold their block for 2.5 seconds or longer. In the run game, Tom had the third-highest run-blocking grade of any offensive tackle in football, according to PFF.
By these metrics, Tom operated as one of the best, most well-rounded tackles in the game last season, and like any competitor, he wants to be viewed as one of the best at his position. But more important than what the outside voices are saying, Tom is focused on winning games and what those inside the Packers’ building have to say.
“Absolutely,” said Tom about wanting to be viewed as a top right tackle. “It’s not like I set a goal to be the 10th-best tackle in the league. Obviously, I want to be the best. Absolutely, it’s nice to get recognition out there But, at this position, you’re not always going to get recognized.
“So I don’t really take what people on the outside are saying too seriously. I’m more so worried about what people on the inside are saying. But I just wanna win at this point.”
While the Packers prioritize versatility along the offensive line and spend the summers mixing and matching different configurations as they search for their “best five,” Tom has found a home at right tackle, although he has the ability to start at any position.
Tom’s pec last season was “as good as it could have been,” as he put it, but now with a full offseason behind him, he’s now past that injury and was able to participate in the on-field portion of offseason programs, which was something he was unable to do at this time last year.
“I think the biggest thing is just confidence with an injury like that,” Tom said. “And I think that’s the thing I’ve been working on this year, even in the weight room, just pushing weight with it.”
Tom is entering the final year of his rookie deal. In search of a contract extension, he could have made the decision to sit out the voluntary portion of the offseason, but instead, he was on the field to put himself and this Packers team in the best position to find success in 2024.
“I don’t really think it’ll do me any good to sit out,” Tom said. “I’m trying not to worry about the contract situation. I’m just trying to do what’s best for the team. And being here with the guys, I think that’s worth a lot more than – the contract situation will take care of itself. So, I’m just here working and grinding with the guys.”
On an appearance on CheeseheadTV, GM Brian Gutekunst said that the team and Tom’s representatives have had “really healthy conversations” around an extension. Gutekunst added that “these things take time.”
However, while those conversations are ongoing, Tom will let his representatives handle that part of the business. For him, his focus as he heads into Year 4 is continuing to find more consistency.
“I would just say consistency,” Tom said about what the next step for him is. “Being a guy that can set the tone during games, being a guy that you can really rely on to block those edge rushers – those elite edge rushers – one-on-one, take them out of the game. But, yeah, that’s the next step for me, for sure. Just being a guy that you know is going to get it done out there.”