Packer Central

Packers-Jaguars Inactives: One Starter Returns But Quay Walker Is Out

Quay Walker is out with a concussion but Devonte Wyatt is back for the Packers. Meanwhile, running back Travis Etienne is out for the Jaguars.

Bill Huber

Green Bay Packers linebacker Quay Walker (7) tackles Tennessee Titans wide receiver Tyler Boyd.
Green Bay Packers linebacker Quay Walker (7) tackles Tennessee Titans wide receiver Tyler Boyd. / Steve Roberts-Imagn Images
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GREEN BAY, Wis. – Green Bay Packers linebacker Quay Walker is inactive for Sunday’s game at the Jacksonville Jaguars but defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt will return to the lineup.

Wyatt missed the last three games with an ankle injury but still leads the team in sacks.

“He’s really coming along nicely,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “He’s had two good days of practice. We’ll see where he’s at by the end of the week, whether or not he’s healthy enough to go. But, yeah, I think when you look at the production that he’s been able to provide for us, that would be big for our defense.”

Walker, the team’s leading tackler, suffered a concussion early in the second quarter of last week’s victory over Houston. He practiced on Thursday and Friday this week but was still in the concussion protocol after Friday’s practice.

Along with Walker, the other inactives: cornerback Corey Ballentine, safety Kitan Oladapo , defensive end Brenton Cox and offensive tackles Andre Dillard and Travis Glover.

For the Jaguars, running back Travis Etienne is out.

Without Walker, defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley figures to go with the same lineup they used for most of the final three quarters last week, with Eric Wilson replacing Walker at middle linebacker and flanked by veteran Isaiah McDuffie and rookie Edgerrin Cooper.

“There’s been no falloff, I feel like, with Eric Wilson’s ability to go in there,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “We just feel really good about that room overall. All those guys are doing a great job. I think Haf’s done a great job with them and (linebackers coach Anthony) Campanile and (defensive assistant) Sean Duggan’s in that room, as well. So, really confident with that room.”

Wilson was a star against the Texans with a career-high two sacks and career-high-tying four tackles for losses.

Cooper, after a career-high seven tackles against Arizona, had a career-high two tackles for losses against the Texans.

The more he plays, the better he’s played.

“100 percent,” he said after Friday’s practice. “That’s the reason I’m out there getting more reps. Everything’s starting to settle down for me. I’m able to be out there and just play ball.”

“Just going out there and trusting yourself, not to overthink,” he added. “I feel like sometimes I can overfocus too much and worry about too much around me. Just go out there and have fun. You’re here for a reason, so go out there and do what you need to do.”

The linebacker corps stepped up without Walker last week. They’ll need to do it again against the Jaguars, with running back Tank Bigsby ranking second among running backs in yards per carry and first in yards after contact per carry.

“Next man up. We had a situation where he went down and we’ve got that mentality of next man up,” Cooper said. “We have to finish the game. We made the decision to go out there and play for him.”

Two rookies will be in the spotlight on Sunday. Cooper, a second-round pick by Green Bay, was born in Covington, La., and Jaguars receiver Brian Thomas Jr., the team’s first-round pick, was born in Walker, La. That’s about a 45-minute drive. Cooper said they played on the same travel basketball team as kids.

“It’s fun that we both made it to this level,” Cooper said. “It’s going to be a fun game to see who gets bragging rights.”

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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.