Matt LaFleur expects Packers right tackle Zach Tom back for playoffs

5 days ago 2

GREEN BAY – With the playoffs here, Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur spoke with the media as he prepares his team for a return trip to Chicago to face the Bears. Here are some quick highlights:

Zach Tom expected to play in wild-card matchup

When the Packers take the field for their primetime matchup Jan. 10, it will be four days shy of one month since right tackle Zach Tom last played.

Tom exited late in the first half at the Denver Broncos on Dec. 14 with knee and back injuries that kept him out the final three regular-season games. LaFleur said he expects Tom to return this week.

Packers right tackle Zach Tom is expected to return for the wild-card playoff game against the Bears after being out for nearly a month.

“I think that’d be a huge get,” LaFleur said. “I mean, he’s our most consistent offensive lineman. He’s one of the best, I think, in the league at his position. So, yeah, that would definitely be a boost.”

The Packers’ offensive line was in flux the last time they played a postseason game. Elgton Jenkins dropped out early in the NFC wild-card round in Philadelphia last year with a stinger. The offensive line has rarely been stable this season, including Jenkins’ season-ending broken leg in November.

Tom has played through injuries all season, but this might be the freshest his body has felt since Week 1.

LaFleur also said he expects Malik Willis to be available as Jordan Love’s backup this week after being inactive in the regular-season finale at Minnesota because of right shoulder and hamstring injuries. He said receiver Dontayvion Wicks has not cleared concussion protocol, but he is expected to practice this week.

On a short week, LaFleur said he scripted a “jog-through” for his team Jan. 6. The Packers will be in pads Jan. 7 before another full practice the following day.

“It will be primarily a walk-through, jog-through tempo,” LaFleur said. “Just with the number of guys we had playing in and having the short week, definitely wanted to do a little bit more but following of our medical staff and then we’ll have two really good days coming up here tomorrow and Thursday.”

Matt LaFleur impressed with cornerback Trevon Diggs’ debut

In just 32 snaps, Trevon Diggs might have shown enough in his Packers audition against the Minnesota Vikings to earn a significant role for the playoffs.

LaFleur said Diggs did “a lot of good things” against the Vikings. The bigger question is whether the veteran who the Packers claimed off waivers from the Dallas Cowboys last week can catch up with defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley’s system enough to play more snaps, but LaFleur expects a smooth transition.

“I think so,” LaFleur said. “He’s been putting in extra time and meeting with (passing game coordinator Derrick Ansley) and the rest of our DB coaches, and he’s been doing a really nice job. And his learning curve is going to be a little bit different than a lot of other players in the fact that he’s played a ton of football.”

One of the more important decisions for LaFleur, Hafley and the rest of the coaching staff to make this week is whether Diggs or Carrington Valentine will start on the perimeter opposite Keisean Nixon.

Valentine has struggled with tackling all season, continuing a trend that started last year. In the playoffs last season at Philadelphia, Eagles tight end Dallas Goedert stiff-armed Valentine on his way to the end zone for a 24-yard touchdown. At 6-foot-1, 202 pounds, Diggs isn’t known as a tackling corner, but he has the size for it. LaFleur said he was especially pleased with his aggression against the Vikings.

“I just think he played physical,” LaFleur said. “He had one play where he had a nice punch at the ball. That was really what stood out to me.”

Matt LaFleur reached out to Raheem Morris after Falcons fired him as head coach, but not about helping with Packers

LaFleur quickly contacted Raheem Morris after the Atlanta Falcons fired him Jan. 4, consoling one of his “closest friends” in the toughest moment of his career.

The coaches worked together on the same staff for multiple seasons in Washington and Atlanta. LaFleur has spoken in the past about his affinity for Morris in the profession.

“I’ve talked with Raheem,” LaFleur said. “Certainly, never want to see that. You never want to see it period, but especially for one of your closest friends. I thought he did a really nice job with that push at the end of the season.”

Morris' availability could come at an ideal time if the Packers lose Hafley to another team as a head coach in this cycle. He would figure to be a top candidate to replace Hafley as defensive coordinator.

Even if Hafley returns as defensive coordinator next season, he’ll likely be a head coach candidate one year from now. It’s possible Morris might also take a year away from coaching, given the Falcons are paying his buyout.

LaFleur said the possibility of helping with the Packers either as a consultant for the postseason run or a more official capacity in the future was not mentioned, but he left all options open.

“I mean, everything is up in the air,” LaFleur said. “But I have not talked to him about that.”

This article originally appeared on Packers News: Packers' Matt LaFleur expects Zach Tom, Malik Willis back for playoffs

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