RB MarShawn Lloyd has opened his 21-day practice window
The hope was that the Green Bay Packers, who were banged up in their Week 9 loss to the Detroit Lions, would be able to return fully healthy after their bye week. While six players were limited participants on Wednesday, only one — defensive tackle Colby Wooden (shoulder) — was held out of the practice entirely.
Mission semi-accomplished?
The limited players in practice were CB Jaire Alexander (knee), DT Kenny Clark (toe), RB Josh Jacobs (quadricep), RB MarShawn Lloyd (ankle/hamstring), C Josh Myers (wrist), S Evan Williams (hamstring). Alexander, Williams and Myers were players who were all inactive versus the Lions the last time we saw the Packers on the field. Those are the main injuries to keep an eye on this week.
With Myers out at center versus Detroit, preferred left guard Elgton Jenkins kicked inside — often struggling with shotgun snaps while doing so — which allowed rookie first-round pick Jordan Morgan to be inserted into the lineup as a guard. No Alexander meant more playing time for the Eric Stokes and Carrington Valentine rotation opposite of Keisean Nixon, who took over as the full-time slot defender in nickel sets again because safety Javon Bullard had to be pushed into Williams’ role.
It’s also worth mentioning here that Lloyd is listed on the injury report because his 21-day practice window has been opened, meaning that the Packers have three weeks to either promote Lloyd to the 53-man roster or he’ll revert the injured reserve for the remainder of the season. Head coach Matt LaFleur said that the team will take it “day-by-day” with Lloyd, due to his lack of NFL experience, but that if he’s not able to contribute the Packers feel good about Emanuel Wilson and Chris Brooks behind Josh Jacobs.
As expected, tight end Luke Musgrave, who is technically eligible to return from the injured reserve at any point from here on out, did not have his 21-day practice window opened up this week. Musgrave had surgery on his ankle and was recently seen on a scooter. He’s going to be out for a little while longer, though, LaFleur said he was optimistic that Musgrave would return at some point this season.
If you want some good news, quarterback Jordan Love was a full participant in practice on Wednesday. LaFleur confirmed that Love didn’t even get a full week of team reps heading into the last game versus Detroit, meaning that this game against the Chicago Bears is going to be Love’s first week of full prep since Week 1 versus the Philadelphia Eagles — the game when his 2024 injury woes first popped up.
On the Bears’ side of the injury report, key players like safety Jaquan Brisker (concussion), offensive lineman Teven Jenkins (ankle) and defensive end Montez Sweat (ankle) were all non-participants in practice on Wednesday.