GREEN BAY — In the 12 days since they realized their offensive line wasn’t good enough to hold up as constructed, the Green Bay Packers have brought in not one, not two but three veteran linemen — and have already released one of them.

Could their rebuild-on-the-fly approach to their troublesome offensive line next include a Wisconsin native and former Badgers standout looking for one last shot at a winner at age 36?

Maybe. 

According to the official NFL transaction wire, the Packers brought Kevin Zeitler for a visit on Tuesday — their latest attempt to bolster the line after a horrendous start to the season.

Zeitler’s visit follows the practice-squad signing over Cordell Volson, a 48-game starter with the Cincinnati Bengals from 2022-’24; Laken Tomlinson, a 169-game starter (including playoffs) with five previous teams whom the Packers officially signed to their 53-man roster on Monday from the Dallas Cowboys’ practice squad; and Mekhi Becton, a 59-game starter with three previous teams over the past six years.

All this has happened less than a month after general manager Brian Gutekunst confidently declared that the Packers’ offensive line group was deep.

“Quite frankly, we were really [more] worried about people poaching our guys,” Gutekunst replied on Sept. 1 after final cuts when asked if there were options after all the cuts to improve the Packers’ offensive line group.

“We started with 11 [on the 53-man roster] when we first kind of got down to it, and [we had to figure out] how were we going to get to 10, because we needed to get to 53, obviously.

“Big guys, they don’t grow on trees, and very rarely do big guys that can play become available. We feel actually really, really good about our back end [of the depth chart], if those guys have got to play. We have some young guys that we’re really excited about on the practice squad as well.

“For me, being heavy [on the roster with linemen] particularly early in the year with big guys, is important. Because when we get to October and November and injuries pile up, finding big guys is almost impossible, right? There’s just not very many of them out there.”

The Packers released Volson from the practice squad on Tuesday, which could be a sign that they’ve decided to commit to Zeitler, who grew up in Waukesha, went to Wisconsin Lutheran High School and played at the University of Wisconsin, where he was a 2011 consensus first-team All-American before the Bengals took him in the first round (No. 27 overall) of the 2012 NFL Draft.

The Packers (1-2) head into Sunday’s road matchup with the Tampa Bay Buccaneers at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa unsure of what they’ll do at guard.

They’ve started three players — veteran Aaron Banks, inexperienced backup Donovan Jennings and rookie fifth-round pick Jager Burton — at left guard in the first three games, while Jacob Monk, who’d played only 57 regular-season snaps in his first two NFL seasons, has started the first three games at right guard.

Head coach Matt LaFleur could go with one of his three left guard options again against the Bucs and could give Monk another opportunity, but Monk’s 50.4 Pro Football Focus grade ranks him 58th out of the 73 guards the site has rated this season.

Or, he could start Tomlinson at left guard and Becton at right guard, if both players show they’re ready to play after not being on anyone’s roster for the offseason program or training camp.

“Potentially,” LaFleur said when the team returned to work on Monday — and in advance of Wednesday’s first practice of the week. “We haven’t been on the field with them yet, so it’s tough to say. But I think as we progress through the week, we’ll have a better indication of that.

“These guys have played a lot of football, so you know they know how to play the game, and you know the game’s not too big for them. But certainly, there’s going to be a learning curve there.”

Zeitler’s experience might flatten his learning curve if he and the Packers come to an agreement that would allow him to play for his home state team.

In 14 NFL seasons, Zeitler has started 220 games (including playoffs) for six teams — the Bengals (five seasons), the Baltimore Ravens (three), the Cleveland Browns (two), the New York Giants (two), the Detroit Lions (one) and the Tennessee Titans (one).

He’s played 13,985 offensive snaps, and according to PFF, he allowed only 16 pressures in pass protection in 909 snaps for the Titans.

But he’s never made it to a Super Bowl, and the Packers might be a title contender if they can stabilize their line. He makes his offseason home in northern Wisconsin, so his commute to Green Bay for his visit Tuesday was a short one.

“A lot of people say, ‘What the heck are you still doing [playing]?,’” Zeitler said in June 2025 before starting 16 games for the Titans last season. “I love ball. Ball is going to go away some day, but not yet. I am going to go as long as I can do it well.”

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