The Green Bay Packers have had their fair share of injuries throughout the season.
They were missing Christian Watson upon entering camp, and lost rookie linebacker Collin Oliver and running back MarShawn Lloyd to long-term injuries in camp, as well as edge Brenton Cox in Week 1.
Zach Tom and Aaron Banks have dealt with injuries throughout most of the season. Jayden Reed underwent dual surgery for a Jones fracture and a broken collarbone following Week 2, and they lost Devonte Wyatt, Elgton Jenkins, and Tucker Kraft to season-ending injuries. Even Brandon McManus has been in and out of the lineup and played hurt.
They’ve also recently been without Nate Hobbs, Quay Walker, Matthew Golden, Karl Brooks, Savion Williams, and Lukas Van Ness for the past several weeks.
Despite all of those injuries, the Packers are 8-3-1 and only half a game out of first place in the division, with the chance to take control of it this weekend in a massive showdown with the Chicago Bears at Lambeau.
And, good news, Green Bay may finally be turning the corner on the injury front. Several key players are set to return in the coming weeks. The Packers may be the healthiest they’ve been since Week 1 for the stretch run of the season.
On the offensive side of the ball, Green Bay should get multiple weapons back in the lineup in the coming weeks.
Reed, who was playing through a Jones fracture suffered in preseason, suffered a broken collarbone early in Green Bay’s Week 2 game against the Washington Commanders. Following the collarbone injury, Reed elected to get surgery on the collarbone and Jones fracture, because they both had similar recovery timelines of 8-10 weeks. Reed was designated to return last week and has been practicing, with a chance to play Sunday.
Reed’s return would give the Packers a much-needed boost in the run-after-catch department. Following Kraft’s injury, Green Bay’s offense lacked anyone who could produce run-after-the-catch (RAC) yards. Before his injury, Kraft had more RAC yardage than all of the receivers and tight ends combined. Reed, a punt returner and dynamic player with the ball in his hands, could provide Green Bay with an upgrade in that department.
Rookie wide receiver Matthew Golden has been dealing with shoulder and wrist injuries the past few weeks. In an offense where players must block on the edge, those injuries will be challenging to overcome. However, Golden has been practicing, and if he can reach a point where he is comfortable, he could provide a huge jolt of energy as an explosive play threat and a sure-handed receiver, as the drop issues have crept back into the Green Bay receiving room.
Lastly — and we’ll have to hold our breath with this one — but MarShawn Lloyd has finally been designated to return from IR and has been practicing. Anytime we’ve had to witness the MarShawn Lloyd experience, it’s been very short-lived. He’s had about every injury in the book and has been sent to multiple specialists to help determine the cause of these nagging health woes. However, now that he’s practicing, and it seems as if the injuries are behind him… for now.
Lloyd’s return to the offense will be one of the more anticipated returns for me. He’s an archetype of a player that I had been begging for Brian Gutekunst to add to the offense for years. Gutey finally did, but he’s rarely played in the first two seasons of his career.
If he can make it onto the gridiron, he gives the offense a much-needed explosive element out of the backfield. Green Bay’s longest run this season is just 29 yards, which is also their only 20-plus-yard run by a running back this season.
Lloyd’s explosive ability would be a boon for a running game that has struggled throughout the season. Lately, it has started to find its legs despite still not creating explosives.
On defense, many of the reinforcements will be tasked with replacing Devonte Wyatt, who suffered a severe ankle injury on Thanksgiving. There won’t be a one-for-one replacement for Wyatt; the Packers will have to do it by committee. Fortunately, Green Bay’s defense has a plethora of returning players who will provide the variety of skills they lost when Wyatt was injured.
Brenton Cox and Collin Oliver were designated to return this week. Quay Walker and Karl Brooks have been practicing after missing last week, and Green Bay also signed defensive tackle Jordon Riley off the New York Giants practice squad.
All players will provide a boost.
Cox and Oliver can add some pass-rush juice that the Packers lost with Wyatt out. After a strong finish to his 2024 season with four sacks in seven games, Cox entered training camp with a chance to compete for edge 3 on the depth chart. However, his groin injury in Week 1 ended that push, and he hasn’t been able to play since.
On the other hand, I doubt we’ll see much of Oliver. Still, he was an exciting player when the Packers drafted him. Oliver is an archetype that Gutey doesn’t typically covet: an undersized pass-rush specialist. If he can immediately produce, I could see the Packers using him in very specific, obvious passing situations. Still, he’s likely only a special teams contributor this season.
Brooks and newcomer Jordon Riley give the Packers beef in the middle. Brooks is what he is, almost a poor man’s version of Wyatt, a guy that’ll give a little pass-rush threat and eat up bodies in the middle. Still, that’s something the Packers have needed following Wyatt’s injury. Riley is a bit of a different archetype, likely brought in to be more of a run-down player given his massive 6’5”, 388 lb. frame.
Walker’s return will give the athlete in the middle of the field a boost and add depth at the linebacker position. However, Isaiah McDuffie played great in his absence. Still, it’s better to have three good players at a position than two.
Lastly, Green Bay may need to wait a little bit longer on Lukas Van Ness. After returning from a foot injury two weeks ago against Minnesota, Van Ness was seen in a walking boot after managing just six snaps in that game.
When LVN returns, he could give Green Bay a big boost both as an edge and interior pass rusher because he can kick inside with his large frame.
The Packers are in a good spot. They control their own destiny in the division, have a chance to make a push for the one seed, and they’re nearing a return of many contributors. Now it’s time to put it together on the field.
