Nick Perry returned to Packers practice on Sunday. The team took the starting outside linebacker off the PUP list.
He’d missed Green Bay’s offseason program — a pivotal one for Packer defenders due to Mike Pettine implementing a new defensive scheme — with an ankle injury. Perry underwent offseason surgery to correct his damaged ankle, according to the Associated Press.
It’s uncertain if the seventh-year veteran will play in the Packers’ final two preseason games, but he expects to be ready by the time Green Bay takes the field for its Week 1 assignment. He doesn’t seem too concerned about getting up to speed in Pettine’s defense, either.
“We’re at a point where I don’t have a choice,” Perry said, via the AP. “I think I’ll be fine, ultimately. My body is in good shape to handle a (work) load like that. So it’s just a matter of me getting into practice and fully getting a whole practice under my belt and continue to stack those days.”
Ankle, foot, shoulder and hand maladies bothered Perry last season. He suffered a broken hand during the 2017 campaign and missed four games of the most disappointing Packers season in over a decade.
The Packers are counting on Perry to return to his 2016 form, when he registered a career-high 11 sacks. He still collected seven last season, despite the various injuries. Green Bay did not make any high-profile edge additions this offseason, and the Perry-Clay Matthews duo will return as the team’s primary pass-rushing presences.