HEADLINES

Green Bay Packers News & Rumors

Injury Notes: Bears, Walker, Murray, Bosa

September 11th, 2024 at 9:17pm CST by Ben Levine

The Bears got good news surrounding the knee injury that knocked Rome Odunze out of Sunday’s season opener. Per Bleacher Report’s Jordan Schultz, the rookie wide receiver suffered a Grade 1 knee sprain, the “best-case scenario” for the team and player.

Odunze suffered his MCL injury while blocking for Velus Jones Jr. during a fourth-quarter screen pass. The rookie stayed in the game for one additional play before exiting for good. The wideout is officially considered week-to-week, per ESPN’s Adam Schefter, and there’s been no indication that the ninth-overall pick will have a stay on injured reserve. Coach Matt Eberflus said the Bears were “lucky” to avoid a serious injury, and he even kept the door open to Odunze playing in Week 2.

Wednesday’s injury report also showed that fellow receiver Keenan Allen didn’t practice while nursing a heel injury. Eberflus later clarified that the wideout was considered day-to-day, and there’s hope the offseason acquisition can hit the practice field on Thursday and Friday following his day off.

In the unlikely event that both Odunze and Allen are sidelined, the Bears’ deep wide receiver grouping will be down to just D.J. Moore. Rookie QB Caleb Williams is certainly hoping for his full arsenal of wideouts following an NFL debut where he completed only 14 of 29 pass attempts for 93 yards.

More injury notes from around the NFL…

  • Kenneth Walker left Sunday’s game with an oblique injury and didn’t practice on Wednesday, per the Seahawks‘ injury report. Mike Macdonald said the running back is day-to-day (via ESPN’s Brady Henderson), but another missed practice would obviously put the player’s Week 2 availability in doubt. Walker exited the season opener after compiling 103 rushing yards and one touchdown. Zach Charbonnet finished the game at running back, scoring a 30-yard touchdown in the fourth quarter.
  • Kyler Murray was a full participant at today’s practice, but the Cardinals QB still showed up on the injury report with a knee injury. Murray, of course, suffered an ACL injury during the 2022 campaign, and 2024 represented his first healthy offseason in a few years. Murray didn’t miss a snap on Sunday, and it seemed like his knee was in good shape after he ran for 57 yards. Clayton Tune is the only other QB currently on the active roster.
  • The Chargers announced that Joey Bosa was a limited participant at Wednesday’s practice while dealing with a back injury. The pass rusher appeared in 60 percent of his team’s defensive snaps in Week 1, collecting a sack and a forced fumble along the way. The long-time Charger has been snake bitten by injuries over the past few years, missing 20 total games.
  • NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport passes along a list of other notable players who didn’t practice on Wednesday, including Bengals receiver Tee Higgins (hamstring), Chiefs receiver Marquise Brown (shoulder), Browns tight end David Njoku (ankle), Packers quarterback Jordan Love (MCL), and Saints cornerback Marshon Lattimore (hip/hamstring).

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/10/24

September 10th, 2024 at 6:49pm CST by Ely Allen

Today’s practice squad transactions from around the NFL:

Arizona Cardinals

Carolina Panthers

Cleveland Browns

Green Bay Packers

Houston Texans

Indianapolis Colts

Jacksonville Jaguars

Minnesota Vikings

New England Patriots

New York Giants

  • Signed: G Cade Mays
  • Released: T Marcellus Johnson

Philadelphia Eagles

Pittsburgh Steelers

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

Tennessee Titans

Washington Commanders

  • Signed: T Anim Dankwah

Packers Will Not Place Jordan Love On IR; Team Has Not Contacted Free Agent QBs

September 9th, 2024 at 10:00pm CST by Adam La Rose

The Packers are set to rely on Malik Willis in the event Jordan Love misses time over the coming weeks. That remains a distinct possibility in the latter’s case, but he will not be placed on injured reserve.

Love is dealing with an MCL sprain, and he is facing a recovery timeline of three to six weeks. Placing him on IR would guarantee an absence of at least four weeks, but head coach Matt LaFleur said on Monday that route will not be taken. Love is therefore a candidate to return on the short end of that timeframe, and for that reason Green Bay is not interested in adding a signal-caller.

“No. Despite reports,” LaFleur said of the Packers having interest in a free agent quarterback (via Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette). “It’s crazy to me how people come up with some of these things. I think you explore every possibility, but at no point in time did we ever have any discussions with anybody.”

A report from Sunday stated the Packers reached out to Ryan Tannehill, the most experienced quarterback currently on the market. It was unclear at the time if Green Bay represented a destination Tannehill was interested in as he weighs his options, but LaFleur’s comments confirm no contract talks took place anyway. With Love set to only miss a brief period, the team will rely on Willis and Sean Clifford under center.

Green Bay had Clifford and seventh-round rookie Michael Pratt in place during the summer as they competed for the backup gig. Neither passer impressed, and they were both waived during roster cutdowns. Clifford cleared waivers and was retained on the practice squad whereas Pratt departed and joined the Buccaneers’ taxi squad.

Willis was acquired via trade shortly before the roster cut deadline, giving him a short window of time to learn the Packers’ offense. The former Titans draftee did not anticipate being dealt despite the fact free agent signing Mason Rudolph outperformed him during training camp and the preseason. Willis, 25, made three starts as a rookie but he made only three appearances last season as Tennessee transitioned from Tannehill to Will Levis. The Packers will offer him a new opportunity on a short-term basis until Love is back to full health.

Malik Willis To Start For Packers; Team Has Reached Out To Ryan Tannehill

September 8th, 2024 at 10:20pm CST by Rory Parks

Packers quarterback Jordan Love will be sidelined for three to six weeks as a result of the MCL sprain he suffered in the club’s Week 1 loss to the Eagles. Recent trade acquisition Malik Willis will step into the starting lineup for Green Bay’s home opener against the Colts next week, per Fox Sports’ Jay Glazer (via Aaron Nagler of CheeseheadTV).

However, the team has reached out to veteran passer Ryan Tannehill, as Dianna Russini of The Athletic reports. Tannehill is the most accomplished quarterback still on the market after his Titans tenure came to an end this spring. The 36-year-old has received interest from teams this offseason, but he appeared content to wait out the start of the year and examine the opportunities which presented themselves. Week 1 has certainly done so in the form of the Love injury.

Earlier today, Ian Rapoport of NFL Network provided an update on Tannehill’s status. The Texas A&M alum has stayed in shape while awaiting a potential offer, but he intends to return to action only under the “perfect” circumstances. A playoff contender featuring a strong offensive line and skill-position pieces would be Tannehill’s target, Rapoport notes, while adding finances would play a part as well. With just over $195MM in career earnings, Tannehill can afford to be selective when considering his suitors.

As a team which went to the divisional round of the postseason last year in large part on the strength of its young offense, though, the Packers represent a logical landing spot for Tannehill. Each of Green Bay’s top pass-catchers from last year remain in place, and free agent pickup Josh Jacobs is positioned to handle a heavy workload in the backfield. The team entered Sunday with roughly $14.6MM in cap space, providing the flexibility for a short-term addition under center.

For now, at least, it will be Willis at the helm. The former Titans third-rounder lost out to Mason Rudolph this offseason for the team’s backup gig, prompting his trade to the Packers. Willis was caught off guard by the move, one which came after Sean Clifford and Michael Pratt struggled to earn the QB2 spot. Both young passers were cut, with Clifford being retained via a practice squad deal and Pratt leaving the organization. Clifford represents an option more familiar with Matt LaFleur‘s scheme, but to little surprise Willis get the nod for at least one start.

Adam La Rose contributed to this post.

Packers’ Jordan Love Suffers MCL Sprain, To Miss Three To Six Weeks

September 8th, 2024 at 8:54am CST by Ben Levine

SEPTEMBER 8: Love’s MCL injury is between a Grade 1 and Grade 2 sprain, per Rapoport (video link). Love will miss three to six weeks, and it is still unclear whether Willis or Clifford will take the reins in the meantime.

SEPTEMBER 7, 10:04PM: It’s bittersweet news for the Packers after getting the results of their additional scans. According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Love’s ACL suffered no damage, but he has suffered an MCL sprain. To be clear: this is still good news. When the alternative was the end of the 2024 season for Love, an MCL sprain should be a breath of fresh air.

The young passer, who leads the league in annual average value while making $55MM per year, will still likely miss some time, but the prognosis is much more positive than a season-ending injury. It looks like Green Bay will be forced to depend on Willis or Clifford at quarterback for about four t0 six weeks until Love is able to return. That or they will need to look to the free agent market for a rental.

11:15AM: Some good news on the Love front, at least temporarily. NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero reports that initial tests indicate that Love’s ACL is intact. Of course, the quarterback isn’t completely out of the woods. Pelissero warns that there’s still “a wide range of outcomes based on additional scans.”

9:05AM: The Packers dropped their season opener to the Eagles, but the team may have suffered an even more devastating loss along the way. Jordan Love suffered an apparent leg injury during the final drive of last night’s game in Brazil.

A dejected Matt LaFleur didn’t have any updates about his quarterback’s condition following the game. The Packers are scheduled to land back in Green Bay this afternoon, at which time they’ll presumably get more clarity on Love’s injury. Dianna Russini of The Athletic clarifies that Love will indeed undergo an MRI later today, although an ankle injury has already been ruled out.

The injury occurred with five seconds remaining in the game as Love was attempting a Hail Mary pass. Replays showed the quarterback’s knee pop as he was brought to the ground by Eagles defenders, and Love then remained on the ground while “writhing in pain,” per Lukas Weese and Matt Schneidman of The Athletic. As Mike Florio of ProFootballTalk.com notes, the injury was clearly reminiscent of Kirk Cousins‘ season-ending Achilles injury last year.

From a glass-half-full perspective, Weese and Schneidman note that Love was able to exit the Packers locker room under his own power. The quarterback also didn’t have a noticeable limp.

The centerpiece of Green Bay’s young core, Love was expected to take another step forward following his breakout 2023 campaign. The Packers are especially confident in their franchise quarterback, as the team handed him a four-year, $220MM extension this offseason that featured a record $55MM average annual value. If Love is forced to miss time, Malik Willis would likely take over as the starting quarterback. The Packers are also stashing Sean Clifford on the practice squad.

Center Josh Myers also suffered an injury on the same play as Love, with the lineman telling ESPN’s Rob Demovsky that “severe cramps” forced him to the sideline. The starter will presumably be alright moving forward, but the Packers showed their contingency plan on the final two playe by moving Elgton Jenkins to center (with Sean Rhyan taking over as left guard and Jordan Morgan taking over as right guard).

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/6/24

September 6th, 2024 at 7:42pm CST by Ely Allen

Practice squad updates to close out the week:

Green Bay Packers

  • Released from practice squad IR (with injury settlement): RB Nate McCrary

Houston Texans

New York Giants

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/6/24

September 6th, 2024 at 6:51pm CST by Ely Allen

Friday’s minor moves as we continue with Week 1 of the 2024 NFL season:

Carolina Panthers

Denver Broncos

Green Bay Packers

Los Angeles Rams

Philadelphia Eagles

Washington Commanders

The Packers and Eagles both elect to utilize their two gameday practice squad elevations on the offensive side of the ball as they get their seasons started in São Paulo. With rookie third-round rusher MarShawn Lloyd out to start the season, Merriweather will add some depth at running back for Green Bay.

Philadelphia will use their callups to supplement an offensive line that has two players listed as out tonight and one on injured reserve. A normally deep tight ends group for the Birds sees Albert Okwuegbunam on IR, as well. Jenkins will back up Dallas Goedert and Grant Calcaterra.

2024 Offseason In Review Series

September 4th, 2024 at 9:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are PFR’s examinations of the 32 NFL teams’ 2024 offseasons:

AFC East

AFC North

AFC South

AFC West

NFC East

NFC North

NFC South

NFC West

NFL Practice Squad Updates: 9/3/24

September 3rd, 2024 at 6:58pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Tuesday’s practice squad moves:

Green Bay Packers 

Kansas City Chiefs

Miami Dolphins

  • Signed: DE Derrick McClendon

New England Patriots

Philadelphia Eagles

San Francisco 49ers

Seattle Seahawks

  • Released: DL Kyon Barrs, OL Max Pircher

Tampa Bay Buccaneers

Minor NFL Transactions: 9/3/24

September 3rd, 2024 at 6:43pm CST by Sam Robinson

Here are Tuesday’s minor moves:

Buffalo Bills 

Carolina Panthers

Dallas Cowboys

  • Removed from IR via injury settlement: DE Viliami Fehoko

Houston Texans

Kansas City Chiefs

Seattle Seahawks

  • Removed from IR via injury settlement: DL Buddha Jones

Tennessee Titans

  • Waived: LB Luke Gifford
  • Removed from IR via injury settlement: WR Tre’Shaun Harrison

The Eagles waived Tuipulotu to make room for waiver claim Byron Young. Tuipulotu had worked as an Eagles rotational DT, playing 232 snaps in 2022 and 162 last season. A 2021 sixth-round pick, Tuipulotu notched two sacks and three tackles for loss last season.

Early September is a bit earlier than most teams poach a player of another club’s P-squad. The Panthers doing so means they must carry Swinson, a rookie UDFA out of Arizona State, on their 53-man roster for at least three weeks. Panthers tight ends Tommy Tremble and Ian Thomas are battling injuries. Swinson joins those two, veteran Jordan Matthews and rookie fourth-rounder Ja’Tavian Sanders on a rare five-TE depth chart.

Load More Posts