Packers Sign Veteran Tomlinson Off Cowboys Practice Squad

The Green Bay Packers signed guard Laken Tomlinson off the Dallas Cowboys practice squad on Sept. 26, 2026, two days after Atlanta won 35-14. In that game the Packers managed 17 rushing yards and Jordan Love was hit 12 times. Tomlinson, 34, was a first-round pick of the Detroit Lions in 2015, earned a Pro Bowl nod with the San Francisco 49ers in 2021, and started seven of 10 games for the Houston Texans in 2025. Ian Rapoport and Mike Garafolo of NFL Media reported the signing; Rapoport wrote that at age 34, with 162 starts, Tomlinson will help an O-line that needs it. The Press-Gazette said ESPN reported it first. Contested: career starts differ—Rapoport, Sports Illustrated, Heavy, and the Press-Gazette put the number at 162; Cheesehead TV puts it at 155. Sports Illustrated notes almost all of his snaps have come at left guard and calls the fit odd. Tomlinson has said, "Whatever it takes to win. I've always been a team player and I'll do whatever the coaches ask of me." Right tackle Zach Bako-Bewele is out for the season with a patellar tendon tear. How much Tomlinson can help remains uncertain; Dallas must replace him on its practice squad.