Packers-Bears Inactives: Jenkins Returns; Who Will He Replace?

For Green Bay, Rasul Douglas and Jaylon Smith are active. For Chicago, Khalil Mack, Akiem Hicks and Allen Robinson are active, as well.

GREEN BAY, Wis. – After a three-game absence, Pro Bowl offensive lineman Elgton Jenkins is back for the Green Bay Packers and, based on pregame warmups, will start at left tackle.

“We’ll give him up ‘til game time,” coach Matt LaFleur said on Friday. “He was out there in a limited capacity today and worked a lot of different combinations.”

For Green Bay, its inactives are cornerback Kevin King (shoulder), safety Vernon Scott, linebacker Isaiah McDuffie, offensive tackle Dennis Kelly (back) and defensive lineman Jack Heflin. Active are cornerback Rasul Douglas and linebacker Jaylon Smith.

While Douglas is active, it will be Eric Stokes and Isaac Yiadom as the starting cornerbacks, based on warmups.

For Chicago, stars Khalil Mack (foot), Akiem Hicks (groin) and Allen Robinson (ankle) are active. All three were questionable on the injury report; Mack didn’t practice all week.

One of those aforementioned combinations was Jenkins at left tackle, where he started the first two games of this season before suffering an ankle injury in Week 2 against Detroit, with Jon Runyan Jr. staying at left guard to make a fifth consecutive start. Another option was sticking with Yosh Nijman for a fourth consecutive game at left tackle and moving Jenkins back to left guard, where he earned his all-star honors last year.

With the Bears having two of the league’s premier pass rushers in outside linebackers Khalil Mack and Robert Quinn, LaFleur went with a left side of Jenkins and Runyan to put one of his best blockers on one of the Bears' best defenders.

When the Packers return to the practice field on Wednesday to begin prep for the upcoming home game against Washington, All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari will be eligible to begin practicing. He’s been working out with a trainer on the practice field for weeks, but the team gave no inkling on its decision.

“He’s into checking boxes and moving on with certain things,” Stenavich said. “I’m just excited to get him out here sometime soon. I think that will be great to use have him build that confidence in his knee and all that stuff to get him back on the field at some point this year.”