Packers lose top O-lineman Bako-Bewele to season-ending surgery

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  Rob DemovskySep 22, 2026, 03:33 PM ET

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  Rob Demovsky is an NFL reporter at ESPN and covers the Green Bay Packers. He has covered the Packers since 1997 and joined ESPN in 2013. Demovsky is a two-time Wisconsin Sportswriter of the Year as selected by the NSSA.

GREEN BAY, Wis. -- For the second straight season, the Green Bay Packers have lost right tackle Zach Bako-Bewele for the season due to a torn patellar tendon in his right knee.

Last year, it was a partial tear that prevented him from coming back after he was injured in Week 15. This year, he said it was a complete tear sustained in Sunday's overtime win over the New York Jets.

Bako-Bewele, who was limited most of the offseason while recovering from a surgery he described as a repair to remove some tissue around the patellar tendon, now will undergo a more complex surgery that expects to sideline him for 8-10 months. He said the surgery is scheduled for Thursday.

He would not say whether he may have come back too soon from the initial surgery. He did not rule out that the surface at MetLife Stadium may have played a role.

"I don't know," Bako-Bewele said Tuesday. "I mean, I don't think the turf helped. Yeah, I don't know. Just something that happened, so I just gotta move forward."

The fourth-round pick in 2022 is widely considered the Packers' best offensive lineman. They signed him to a four-year, $88 million contract extension in 2025. Second-year pro Anthony Belton finished Sunday's game at right tackle and likely will start there again Thursday against the Atlanta Falcons.

That wasn't the only injury on the offensive line from Sunday's game. They finished the game without left guard Aaron Banks (toe/knee) and then lost his replacement Donovan Jennings to a hand injury. Rookie Jager Burton finished the game at left guard. He was the last offensive lineman available in the game and when right guard Jacob Monk was getting evaluated for a stinger, the Packers were preparing to use tight end Tucker Kraft at one of the offensive line spots.

The Packers have struggled to run the ball, ranking last in rushing yards per game (64.5) and 29th in yards per carry (3.3).

They also lost receiver Jayden Reed to what was initially called a neck injury but according to ESPN's Adam Schefter was actually a back injury. It's unclear how much time, if any, Reed will miss. He returned to Green Bay on Monday after being held in New Jersey after the game for observation.