The Green Bay Packers’ brass spoke to the media on Tuesday for the first time since roster cuts. The deadline also came with some injury news, as both receiver Savion Williams and edge rusher Collin Oliver were placed on the injured reserve, with a return designation, to make room for other players to be retained on the active roster.
According to general manager Brian Gutekunst, Williams has a high ankle sprain and Oliver is dealing wih an Achilles injury. Per the GM, they should only have a four-week
stint on the IR before returning to the active roster, at which point the team will need to make room for their additions to the team.
Gutekunst also said that Parsons could return to practice as early as Week 3, and it will be “pretty close” on whether or not Parsons will be able to suit up in Week 5 against the Chicago Bears, the first game that he’s eligible to return for following a mandatory four-week stint on the PUP list.
This fits in well with the injury timeline that we laid out back in March. Based on the Christian Watson ACL recovery timeline, Parsons should be ready to practice sometime in mid-September. For whatever it’s worth, tight end Tucker Kraft also progressed, in terms of when he got on the practice field and when he became a full participant in practice, nearly exactly at the same speed as Watson did when he recovered from his ACL tear.
The final bit of injury news is that defensive lineman Warren Brinson, who did not practice with the Packers after cutdowns, has a “good chance” of playing in Week 1. Brinson injured his calf in Week 2 of the preseason during warmups, forcing Devonte Wyatt, who had not planned to play against the Denver Broncos, into action. With seven defensive linemen on the roster, the Packers won’t be short numbers at the position, even if Brinson is ruled out.
Head coach Matt LaFleur added that the offensive line situation is fluid right now, as it’s not clear whether or not left guard Aaron Banks (tendinitis) or right tackle Zach Bako-Bewele (patellar tendon) can play a full 60-minute football game right now. Currently, I would expect the preferred offensive line to be Jordan Morgan, Banks, Sean Rhyan, Jacob Monk and Bako-Bewele (left to right), potentially with Jager Burton rotating in at the left guard position with Banks. If Banks and Bako-Bewele can’t go, assume that Burton will take over at left guard and Anthony Belton will play right tackle against the Minnesota Vikings in the regular-season opener.
Tight end Luke Musgrave (neck) is expected to be activated off the PUP list at some point this season to contribute to the team, but there has been no hard deadline established on when he will return to practice.
