One of the biggest topics of conversation in Green Bay over the past seven months, the wide receiver position, is the dominant topic this week as the Packers begin their preparations for the Atlanta Falcons coming to Lambeau Field next Monday night.
Allen Lazard, coming off a six catch, 146 yard, touchdown scoring effort in last week’s victory over the New Orleans Saints is out indefinitely after not showing up at today’s practice and turning up on the week’s first injury report with a “core” issue. Just exactly what that is hasn’t been disclosed, it could be anything from a pulled ribcage muscle to a damaged spleen or something surgical. Late reporting from Adam Schefter says Lazard has indeed undergone core muscle surgery and will likely miss several weeks and the wide receiver position has been thinned even more drastically.
There was good news though as Davante Adams returned to practice after missing out on the New Orleans game with a pulled hamstring.
Davante Adams back in line at practice Thursday.
After his franchise record tying 14 catch performance in the season opener, Adams left the home opener against Detroit with a pulled hamstring and has been getting rehabilitation ever since. He met reporters after practice in a zoom session and confirmed he worked out before the game at the Superdome but it wasn’t good enough to go and he’s hoping it will be this week for the Packers won’t get back on the field after their bye until October 18 in Tampa.
Adams was officially listed as limited at today’s practice. But if Lazard is out, and Adams has to sit out another, Aaron Rodgers will have this trio of receivers at his disposal Monday night at Lambeau Field: Marquez Valdes-Scantling, Darius Shepherd and Malik Taylor.
Down a couple of bodies, General Manager Brian Gutekunst has had to sign two wide receivers to the practice squad in as many days. On Wednesday, Caleb Scott arrived. He was an undrafted free agent out of Vanderbilt who signed with Seattle last year and spent the entire season on the Seahawks practice squad. Today, the Packers signed Juwann Winfree who was the sixth round draft pick of the Denver Broncos out of nearby Colorado. He appeared in three games last year before getting hurt and finishing the season on injured reserve.
There’s a possibility one of those two might be a game night call up and dress, it’s getting thin out wide.
Joining Lazard on the DNP list was Christian Kirksey with a pectoral injury that knocked him out of the first half last Sunday night. Rookie tight end Josiah Deguara still hasn’t returned from an ankle injury and Marcedes Lewis was sidelined with a sore knee.
Limited participants outside of Adams were Kenny Clark, looking like he’ll return from a groin injury this week, Rashan Gary (ankle), Randy Ramsey (groin) and Za’Darius Smith (ankle).
Jaire Alexander, Elgton Jenkins and Billy Turner were listed on the injury report but as full participants.
The city of Green Bay and Brown County have surging COVID-19 numbers, to the point local hospitals are at or near capacity. In the wake of this week’s news involving the Tennessee Titans outbreak, forcing postponement of Sunday’s home game against the Steelers, Head Coach Matt LaFleur is once again stressing the importance of player accountability. “It only takes one”, he said, “to disrupt the whole organization.” Aaron Rodgers said Thursday his teammates don’t need a babysitter but they must take health precautions seriously, especially with an off week coming. Rodgers said his mates so far, have done a good job.
