Packers claim massive OL Luke Tenuta on Monday

According to his agent, the Green Bay Packers have claimed offensive lineman Luke Tenuta via the Indianapolis Colts on Monday. The Packers did not need to make a corresponding roster move as the roster was already down to 52 players following outside linebacker Tipa Galeai’s placement on the injured reserve list.

Tenuta is the son of Jon Tenuta, a longtime college football coach who has spent time at stops like Oklahoma, Ohio State and Notre Dame. Originally, Tenuta was drafted in the sixth round of the 2022 draft by the Buffalo Bills, who waived Tenuta during final cuts. He was then picked up off of waivers by the Indianapolis Colts, where he was waived from on Saturday. He has yet to play a regular season NFL snap.

Standing at an official 6’8”, Tenuta played both left and right tackle for Virginia Tech, replacing now Packer Yosh Nijman on the right side of the Hokies’ line before moving to left tackle in 2021. He was named an All-ACC honorable mention and was invited to the 2022 East-West Shrine Bowl as a senior.

Adding an offensive lineman to this roster is an interesting move, especially considering the receiver situation on the team. Two of the team’s four healthy scratches against the New York Jets on Sunday were rookie draft pick offensive linemen: Sean Rhyan and Rasheed Walker. Beyond them, the team also has rookie Caleb Jones (undisclosed illness) on the NFI list. Backup interior offensive lineman Jake Hanson was injured against the Jets, but unless he is placed on injured reserve the team will now carry 11 offensive linemen.

Acme Packing Company reached out to the East-West Shrine Bowl’s Director of Football Operations and Player Personnel Eric Galko for a scouting report on Tenuta. This is what Galko had to say:

“Hard to find offensive tackles with the height, weight, bulk and lateral movement skills like Luke. With his bend, understanding of how to play with leverage, and ability to recover on the perimeter, Luke has all the traits to develop into a rotational, if not starting, offensive tackle in time in NFL. He was a player we coveted and invited to the Shrine Bowl as soon as he was eligible, and impressed teams on and off the field there.”