The Green Bay Packers opened training camp with a crowded injury list, but two of those concerns evaporated almost immediately.
Guard Aaron Banks and defensive tackle Nazir Stackhouse both passed their physicals and were activated Wednesday, according to NFL reporter Aaron Wilson. The duo had been placed on the physically unable to perform list ahead of the team’s first practice of camp.
The news carries extra weight for Banks. The 28-year-old is entering the second year of the four-year, $77 million contract he signed with Green Bay in 2025. With the Packers reshuffling multiple spots along the offensive line, Banks is one of only two projected starters expected to remain at the same position.
Continuity on a Changing Offensive Line
Banks’ brief stay on the PUP list raised immediate questions because the unit around him already looks different. Packers.com entered camp describing him as “entrenched at left guard.” That status remains, but the surrounding pieces have shifted.
Jordan Morgan is stepping in at left tackle in place of three-year starter Rasheed Walker. Sean Rhyan is taking over full-time at center after filling in for the injured Elgton Jenkins midway through last season. Zach Tom stays put at right tackle. That leaves Banks as a critical piece of continuity for a group that needs time to gel in front of quarterback Jordan Love.
Embed X: https://twitter.com/AaronWilson_NFL/status/2082573348584706320
Last season Banks appeared in 15 games and made 14 starts. An ankle injury slowed him early, but he returned to start 12 consecutive games from Week 6 through Week 17. Green Bay signed him after four seasons with the San Francisco 49ers, where he started 43 games from 2022 through 2024. The Packers are counting on that experience to help stabilize an offensive line still sorting through offseason movement. Clearing him this quickly gives Banks valuable weeks of practice before the regular season to build chemistry with his new teammates.
Early Opportunity on the Defensive Line
Stackhouse’s activation is equally welcome. The 6-foot-4, 327-pound defensive tackle made the roster as an undrafted free agent last season, extending Green Bay’s streak to 21 consecutive years with at least one undrafted rookie on the Week 1 roster. He appeared in 13 games with one start and recorded 12 tackles in a limited role.
The Packers brought him back into a defensive line room that has seen significant change under new coordinator Jonathan Gannon. Veteran Javon Hargrave arrived in free agency, Devonte Wyatt is returning from a leg injury that ended his 2025 season, and second-year tackle Warren Brinson and rookie Chris McClellan are also competing for snaps. Hargrave opened camp on the PUP list, increasing the value of early practice reps for the younger interior players. Stackhouse clearing his physical one day into camp keeps him from falling behind in that competition.
For a Packers team still sorting through both lines of scrimmage, the rapid returns of Banks and Stackhouse remove two early obstacles. Banks can resume work with a reworked offensive line that needs continuity, while Stackhouse gets a clean shot to carve out a larger role on a defense still finding its identity. In a camp already defined by change, these are two welcome pieces of good news.