Packer Central

Packers Injury Updates After Beating Bears

Green Bay Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander barely played against the Chicago Bears, and what’s next for running back MarShawn Lloyd?

Bill Huber

Green Bay Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander played 10 defensive snaps at the Chicago Bears.
Green Bay Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander played 10 defensive snaps at the Chicago Bears. / Mark Hoffman/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images
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GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers activated running back MarShawn Lloyd off injured reserve on Monday.

Don’t get too excited.

Lloyd, who had been on injured reserve due to an ankle injury, was poised to return to the lineup on Sunday at Chicago. Instead, after practicing on Wednesday and Thursday, he was stricken with appendicitis on Friday, had surgery and is out indefinitely.

Because Lloyd’s 21-day practice window was set to expire, the team had to make a decision: add him to the 53-man roster or keep him on injured reserve, which would have ended his season.

So, the Packers added him to the roster. They could keep him there – the Packers had only 52 players on their roster, so a corresponding roster move did not have to be made and there’s not a pressing need for that roster spot.

Or they can transfer him to the non-football injury list later this week. If they choose NFI, Lloyd when healthy once again can be designated for return. At that point, the 21-day practice window will be opened again.

Teams are allowed only eight designated-for-return transactions. The Packers have used only two (Lloyd and defensive tackle Jonathan Ford) and have only one other player eligible (tight end Luke Musgrave), so they can afford to burn two on Lloyd.

“I can’t wait to get him back in the fold,” offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said on Thursday, when it appeared Lloyd was poised to play vs. the Bears. “During the bye week, you go back and self-scout, watch all the old film that you had from the year, and the one game that he played [against the Colts], you just saw his explosive potential, his quickness, his receiving ability.

“Very good player. He’s working through some stuff and he’s trying to get back as fast as he can but, at the same time, we’ve just got to make sure we’re smart with it and everything. But I’m looking forward to getting him back very soon.”

Jaire Alexander Update

Meanwhile, after missing the Detroit game with a knee injury, cornerback Jaire Alexander returned to action against the Bears.

Just not for long.

Alexander played 10 snaps before sitting out the end of the first half. He was ruled out at halftime.

The good news is Alexander did not aggravate the injury.

“He didn’t feel like he could play, so we pulled him,” coach Matt LaFleur said on Monday.

The Packers need Alexander healthy back for the stretch run. That begins on Sunday, when Green Bay will host Brock Purdy and the San Francisco 49ers. After that, the Packers will host Tua Tagovailoa and the Miami Dolphins before a NFC North rematch at Jared Goff and the Detroit Lions.

The Packers are scheduled to play a bunch of quality quarterbacks to wrap up the regular season.

Alexander has played 56.1 percent of the defensive snaps this season.

“That’s always a risk,” LaFleur said of playing Alexander, who was questionable on the injury report. “I knew that going into it. He was on a pitch count, regardless, and those other guys [at cornerback] were well aware that they were going to have to play. But we just felt like it was better to have him for a limited period. Now, we were hoping we could get through it and keep him on a pitch count and then pull him, but it didn’t work out that way.”

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Bill Huber
BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packers On SI, a Sports Illustrated channel. E-mail: packwriter2002@yahoo.com History: Huber took over Packer Central in August 2019. Twitter: https://twitter.com/BillHuberNFL Background: Huber graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater, where he played on the football team, in 1995. He worked in newspapers in Reedsburg, Wisconsin Dells and Shawano before working at The Green Bay News-Chronicle and Green Bay Press-Gazette from 1998 through 2008. With The News-Chronicle, he won several awards for his commentaries and page design. In 2008, he took over as editor of Packer Report Magazine, which was founded by Hall of Fame linebacker Ray Nitschke, and PackerReport.com. In 2019, he took over the new Sports Illustrated site Packer Central, which he has grown into one of the largest sites in the Sports Illustrated Media Group.