Injury Updates From Week 1 of Packers OTAs

Josh Jacobs, Zach Tom and Tucker Kraft did not practice on Tuesday while Christian Watson and Eric Stokes are showing their speed at Packers OTAs.

Alex McGough at Packers OTAs / Mark Hoffman/USA Today Sports Images

GREEN BAY, Wis. – Six members of the Green Bay Packers, led by running back Josh Jacobs, right tackle Zach Tom and tight end Tucker Kraft, are not participating in the start of organized team activities due to injuries.

Here they are:

RB Josh Jacobs

One of the Packers’ big free-agent additions, former All-Pro running back Josh Jacobs is out with a hamstring injury. He worked on the far sideline with a trainer during the first half of practice.

Perhaps thinking about the hamstring injuries that sidelined receiver Christian Watson and cornerback Eric Stokes for large chunks of last season, coach Matt LaFleur was quick to add: “He’s working through a little hamstring issue. I know everybody’s going to freak out but he’s on the mend, he’s doing a good job and we anticipate him back pretty shortly.”

AJ Dillon was the No. 1 back in Jacobs’ absence.

RT Zach Tom

Zach Tom, who was arguably the team’s top offensive lineman last season, suffered a torn pectoral while lifting weights before the draft.

“No long-term concern,” LaFleur said. “He will be a guy that we anticipate back for camp.”

But perhaps not the start of camp. Tom thought it might be mid-August – so a couple weeks into camp but a few weeks before the season.

How does a player who plays a position that requires strength stay strong when he can’t use one of his arms?

“I can’t use the injured arm so I can work out the other one,” he said. “They’ve got some things in there that helps me be able to work this out without using a bunch of weight. So, I’ve been doing all of that. Just rolling with the punches, trying to get back as soon as I can but also being careful because, obviously, you don’t want to make it worse.”

Veteran Andre Dillard and rookie Jordan Morgan, a pair of first-round picks, worked with the No. 1 offense in Tom’s place.

TE Tucker Kraft

Tucker Kraft, who was one of the most productive tight ends in the NFL down the stretch last season, said his pectoral “popped right off the bone” while lifting weights about 10 days ago. He thought he’d miss the start of training camp but wouldn’t miss any games.

“I’m just ready to take off in this league and establish myself as a football player, really,” Kraft said with his left arm in a sling. “That’s where my frustration lies. I was really excited about this offseason.”

S Kitan Oladapo

Fifth-round safety Kitan Oladapo sustained a broken big toe at the Scouting Combine. He should be ready for the start of training camp.

DE Keshawn Banks

Keshawn Banks, an undrafted free agent who made his NFL debut in the playoff loss at San Francisco, was out for undisclosed reasons.

TE Tyler Davis

Tyler Davis, who suffered a torn ACL last preseason, took part in the prepractice warm-up and went through an extensive rehab workout during the first half of practice.

WR Alex McGough

Quarterback-turned-receiver Alex McGough stretched out to catch a deep pass during individual drills but dropped out of practice after making the grab. He pointed to his right hamstring while talking to a trainer.

The only other player who did not practice was cornerback Robert Rochell, who was absent for personal reasons.

“We’ve had almost 100 percent [participation] the entire offseason, which has been the best that we’ve had since I’ve been here,” LaFleur sad. “When you look around the league, when your quarterback’s there, it just naturally has a way of attracting everybody to come. We’re still a very young football team, as well, so these guys, they want to put in the work. We’ve got a lot of guys that love the game and love the process of grinding together and going through some tough things together.”

On the other hand, two players with extensive injury histories, the aforementioned Watson and Stokes, spent Tuesday working with the No. 1 units.

After practice, Watson detailed how he’s attacking his hamstring problems through the help of specialists at the University of Wisconsin.

“It’s honestly hard to explain,” he said. “I just asked at the end of it, ‘What do I got to do?’ They told me things I can do to help. It’s really just all the biomechanics of the lower half of the body, just going through that, seeing where the deficiencies are at. For me, it really was the asymmetry between the legs. It comes from a lot of things (such as) the issues I’ve had in the past with hamstrings (and) not fully recovering from those strength-wise.

“I’ve been attacking the strength side of it, trying to get that symmetry back, and it’s been huge for me. I feel really, really good.”

Stokes worked ahead of Carrington Valentine as the cornerback opposite Jaire Alexander.

“What this offseason has afforded him is an offseason to really train,” LaFleur said. “It’s a lot different when you’re coming off an injury and you’re trying to rehab versus when you’re fully healthy and you can train the right way. When you look at him physically, his body looks different. He’s hitting some very fast speeds out there at practice. Obviously, we monitor all that, and I can tell mentally he feels like he’s in a great place.”

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College coaches: Edgerrin Cooper | Javon Bullard | MarShawn Lloyd | Ty’Ron Hopper | Evan Williams | Jacob Monk | Kitan Oladapo | Michael Pratt | Kalen King