New Green Bay Packers offensive guard Kevin Zeitler hit the ground running in his first practice with the team on Wednesday after signing a one-year, $4 million deal earlier that day.
The 14-year veteran spent the offseason training and rehabbing from surgery in Nashville, waiting for a call. Following a disappointing 1-2 start to the season, the Packers picked up the phone Monday to get Zeitler in on a visit. The rest, as they say, is history.
The expectation is that Zeitler will pick things up fast, which is the best benefit of having 213 career starts and nearly 14,000 offensive snaps under your belt. But does that mean he can start for Green Bay in their Week 4 matchup against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers? He didn’t say no when asked by the media.
“The best part about playing for all these teams over the years is I’ve had access to almost every type of offense here and there,” Zeitler said. “Right now, it’s just learning the terminology, but all the concepts I’ve done in some way, shape, or form. Now it’s just learning how the guys talk, learning how they space themselves, how it all works out, and for day one, it went pretty darn smoothly.”
Zeitler has had to learn many different offenses as a member of the Cincinnati Bengals, Cleveland Browns, New York Giants, Baltimore Ravens, Detroit Lions, and Tennessee Titans.
Of course, learning the complexities of the Packers’ offense will take time. However, the harsh truth is that Zeitler will be an immediate upgrade over whoever he replaces. Odds say that will likely be right guard Jacob Monk, who has been the weak link on an underperforming offensive line. According to Pro Football Focus, Monk’s 11 allowed pressures are tied for third-most among guards. His 41.9 PFF pass-blocking grade ranks 62nd among 73 qualified offensive guards, while his overall grade of 50.4 is 58th among 73 qualified offensive guards.
All but six of Zeitler’s career snaps have been at right guard. And even though he turned 36 in March, his game has aged like fine wine. Last season with the Titans, he earned a 74.5 overall PFF grade, which ranked 13th among 81 qualified offensive guards. In 590 pass-blocking snaps, he allowed just 16 pressures.
Jordan Love is currently averaging the fastest time to throw in the league at 2.45 seconds among qualified quarterbacks, though that’s been more out of necessity than design, as Love also leads the league in hits taken.
Help is on the way, but the question remains whether Love will benefit from Zeitler’s stoutness in pass protection on Sunday in Tampa Bay. We’ll have to wait and see.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: New Packers OL Kevin Zeitler already making case to start in Week 4
