It’s going from bad to worse in a hurry for the 2022 Green Bay Packers. Licking their wounds from a 5th straight loss, 15-9 to the one win Detroit Lions Sunday at Ford Field which dropped the Pack’s record to 3-6, they got even more bad medical news once back home.
Rashan Gary sports his favorite Dark Knight visor.
Rashan Gary’s season has come to an end after he tore his ACL on a non-contact play in the first half. The former number one pick in 2019 has blossomed into one of the top edge rushers in the league this year. He has six sacks in nine games and had one of the top pressure rates in the NFL.
Defensive back Eric Stokes may also have suffered season ending knee and ankle injuries. Stokes was in a walking boot with crutches leaving the locker room. Head Coach Matt LaFleur on Monday said while the injury was serious, they’re not sure it’s season ending just yet. More evaluations will be made this week.
Wide receiver Romeo Doubs was another booted-up player after suffering a high ankle sprain when tackled on his 18 yard catch on the game’s first offensive play. Typically, that injury requires about 4-6 weeks to heal.
Fellow rookie Christian Watson did not suffer a second straight concussion on Sunday. LaFleur said he took a shot to the chest and had the wind knocked out of him. He was still evaluated on the sidelines since he did have a concussion last week against Buffalo. Despite pleading to return, “adamant” was how LaFleur described him, the medical staff withheld from play the rest of the game.
Running back Aaron Jones also suffered an ankle injury but the Packers aren’t ready to rule him out for this weekend’s game against Dallas. More will be know on Jones’ status when the team returns to the practice field Wednesday.
Linebacker Krys Barnes, getting snaps because starter De’Vondre Campbell missed the game with a knee injury, entered the concussion protocol after a helmet to helmet collision with Detroit’s D’Andre Swift in the 4th quarter.
Offensive linemen David Bakhtiari and Jon Runyan both had to leave the game with injuries but were able to return.
While the list is long, LaFleur said the loss of Gary is really tough.
So who’s next in line at outside linebacker? Third year pro Jonathan Garvin has been splitting backup reps with 5th round draft choice Kingsley Enagbare most of the season. Enagbare appears to be getting a bit more from his production recently and he may move to the front of the list. The Packers have Tipa Galeai about ready to come off injured reserve and La’Darius Hamilton is ready from the practice squad.
In the secondary, once Stokes went down, Rasul Douglas moved from the slot to Stokes’ corner position with Keisean Nixon stepping in to the nickel role. With Shemar Jean-Charles still recovering from his own ankle injury suffered against Buffalo, the Packers are down to practice squad corners Kiondre Thomas and Corey Ballentine. Primarily safeties, Rudy Ford, Tariq Carpenter and from the practice squad, Innis Gaines and Micah Abernathy might become emergency options.
There’s not much left for wide receiver depth with Doubs out of the picture. The team is awaiting Randall Cobb’s return from injured reserve with an ankle injury. Watson has been able to start and finish only the season opener against Minnesota with his hamstring and concussion issues. Allen Lazard and Sammy Watkins will play the lead roles with Amari Rodgers and rookie Samori Toure stepping up. The last options on the practice squad are Juwann Winfree, who has been activated twice this year already, veteran Travis Fulgham and first year player Kawaan Baker.
If Jones isn’t able to recover in time for the Dallas game this weekend, the offense will have to rely almost solely on A.J. Dillon. The team just activated Kylin Hill from the physically unable to perform list and he carried once for 7 yards against Detroit. After releasing Patrick Taylor from the practice squad a week ago, the Packers have only Tyler Goodson, the undrafted rookie free agent from Iowa who had a nice training camp, available in reserve. Amari Rodgers might be an emergency two-way option.
As the infirmary is filling up, the replacement list is quickly thinning out.
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