Rodgers Harbors Hope Injured Stars Can Return

The Green Bay Packers are 13-3 and the No. 1 seed despite several key injuries. Could they return to action in time for the playoffs?

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The calvary might be coming after all to give the Green Bay Packers one final push toward an elusive Super Bowl.

All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari hasn’t played in more than a year, his comeback from a torn ACL sidetracked twice since his return from the 53-man roster. He missed the last couple weeks of practice.

After missing most of training camp with a back injury, Pro Bowl outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith played 18 snaps in Week 1, had surgery and hasn’t practiced in months.

Cornerback Jaire Alexander has been out since suffering a shoulder injury in Week 4 vs. Pittsburgh. He’s practiced the past four weeks and was added to the 53-man roster on Wednesday.

Center Josh Myers returned from an injured finger, only to suffer a knee injury in the opening series of Week 6 against Chicago. He hasn’t returned to practice.

Receiver Randall Cobb had core-muscle surgery for the injury sustained vs. the Rams in Week 12. He was designated for return from injured reserve on Thursday.

Right tackle Billy Turner suffered a knee injury in Week 14 vs. Chicago and hasn’t returned to practice.

After the Packers crushed the Minnesota Vikings 37-10 on Sunday night to clinch the No. 1 seed in the NFC playoffs, quarterback Aaron Rodgers spoke optimistically that some – perhaps all – of those players could return for a playoff run.

“We’ve had a lot of key, key players not play for us,” Rodgers said. “I really feel like there’s a possibility to get a few of those guys back for this stretch run, and that’s exciting. We’ll see this week where those guys are at, but it would be fun to get those guys back. You think about Z and Jaire and David and Josh, that could make things really interesting for us on both sides of the ball.”

Bakhtiari, Alexander and Smith are three of the best players in the NFL at their positions. Combined, they could have played in 48 games. Instead, they’ve played in five. The Packers are 13-3, anyway.

Getting some field-tilting players back in the lineup could provide a lot of juice for a team that has thrived despite being one of the most-injured clubs in the league.

Coach Matt LaFleur didn’t share the same optimism as Rodgers. It wasn’t so much pessimism as realism.

“I would say we’ve been optimistic all season long and yet here we are, so it’s just one of those things,” LaFleur said.

Being so late in the season, the timing is problematic. There’s only one game left – next week at Detroit – before the first-round playoff bye. Smith hasn’t done anything competitive since Week 1. Bakhtiari has been out the past two weeks. Alexander was placed on the COVID list on Sunday meaning, at best, an abbreviated practice week.

Can the Packers realistically get them on the field this week for some shake-off-the-rust snaps? And if not, how much can a bunch of not-in-midseason-form players contribute in do-or-die playoff games? For instance, is Yosh Nijman at this point a better option than Bakhtiari? On its surface, that’s a ridiculous question, but Nijman has played well in five consecutive starts.

“If it was possible for those guys to come back this week,” Rodgers said, “I think that’d be great to get, with the 1 seed already locked up, some time in the game playing, where it’s not make-or-break for us. I’m not sure. I would assume, based on the cautious nature of this league in general that that might not be pushed for. But I do feel like, seeing Jaire back at practice that he could come back at some point, Z, I mean, I think there’s a possibility. I do. That’d be exciting, for sure. And then Dave. Dave’s been progressing, doing some stuff on the side it seems like. That’d be great. Josh, as well. I don’t think I’m speaking out of turn saying there’s a possibility for all four of those guys. Randall for sure is coming back, and he looks great. I mean, he probably would have fought if this game was a playoff game to be out there on the field. So, it’s exciting that there’s a good deal of guys who are close to coming back and may come back and could really help us.”

Rodgers has been hurting, too, but his broken toe felt so good after Sunday’s victory that he spoke of potentially practicing on Thursday and Friday this coming week and, the meaningless nature of Sunday’s game notwithstanding, playing at Detroit.

“There’s definitely significant healing,” he said, “and we’re getting close to being 100 percent, which I expect to be, definitely with the bye week.”