Packer Central

Packers Injury Updates: Three Players Return, Including One from IR

Six players did not practice for the Packers on Wednesday, including cornerback Jaire Alexander and receiver Christian Watson.

Bill Huber

Green Bay Packers cornerback Carrington Valentine (24) defends a pass in the end zone to Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. during the preseason.
Green Bay Packers cornerback Carrington Valentine (24) defends a pass in the end zone to Indianapolis Colts wide receiver Michael Pittman Jr. during the preseason. / Wm. Glasheen/USA TODAY Network via Imagn Images
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GREEN BAY, Wis. – Three players returned to practice for the Green Bay Packers on Wednesday, their first day of on-field prep for Sunday’s game at the Los Angeles Rams.

Cornerback Carrington Valentine, who missed the last two weeks due to an ankle injury and whose presence was missed in the loss to the Minnesota Vikings, was back on the practice field. He was limited participation on Wednesday and Thursday last week but didn’t practice on Friday and was inactive.

First-round pick Jordan Morgan, who rotated with Sean Rhyan at right guard the first two games but missed the last two games with an injured shoulder, also returned to practice. After a couple weeks off, this might be a ramp-up week for Morgan.

A third player was back, as well. Defensive tackle Jonathan Ford, who suffered an injured calf during the preseason finale, has been designated for return from injured reserve.

Six players did not practice:

- Receiver Christian Watson, who suffered an ankle during the first half of the loss to the Minnesota Vikings. According to NFL insider Jordan Schultz, he suffered a “mild” high-ankle sprain and is “unlikely” to be placed on injured reserve.

Considering how ugly the injury looked in real time, the Packers dodged a bullet.

- Cornerback Jaire Alexander, who was inactive with quad and groin injuries against the Vikings.

- Left guard Elgton Jenkins was out because of a knee injury; it was not a rest day.

- Tight end Luke Musgrave, who has caught five passes for only 22 yards with a long gain of 6. After a promising rookie season, Musgrave has been one of the big disappointments of the first four games. He’s played 108 snaps – less than half of Tucker Kraft’s 227.

- Defensive tackle Devonte Wyatt, who is one of only three players in the NFL with a tackle for loss in each of the first four games. He suffered an ankle injury with about 9 minutes to go on Sunday.

“I think he’s taken big steps from Week 1 to Week 3, as I would hope he would with the rest of our defense as they get comfortable,” defensive coordinator Jeff Hafley said on Thursday. “I think you see what he does in the pass game and how effective he is, but I don’t know if you quite dive into how good he’s been in the run game – the TFLs, the movement, the speed, the athleticism, the get-off, the penetration.

“He makes it hard for the O-line. Really hard. I think the combination of all those different bodies we have in the middle, you got some really big guys and then you’ve got some quick guys, and he’s kind of a combination of both. I’m a big fan of him. He works, he’s a fun guy to be around and I hope, and if I had to bet, you’re going to see improvement each week from him.”

If Wyatt can’t play this week, Colby Wooden would be in line for his first defensive snaps of the season.

- Veteran defensive tackle Kenny Clark went through the prepractice stretch but did not practice. He was limited participation last week with an injured toe.

Clark leads the defensive line with 180 snaps but has neither a sack nor a tackle for loss.

While the Packers are banged up to start the week, the Rams have been banged up to start the season. Premier receivers Cooper Kupp and Puka Nacua will not play this week, which is just the tip of the iceberg.

This story will be updated following the release of the injury reports.

Packers Wednesday Injury Report

Did not participate: CB Jaire Alexander, LG Elgton Jenkins, TE Luke Musgrave, WR Christian Watson, DT Devonte Wyatt, DT Kenny Clark.

Limited: LB Edgerrin Cooper, QB Jordan Love, OL Jordan Morgan, CB Carrington Valentine.

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Bill Huber
BILL HUBER

Bill Huber, who has covered the Green Bay Packers since 2008, is the publisher of Packer Central, 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.