Getty Tremon Smith #27 of the Green Bay Packers reacts after he is tackled on a kick return during the third quarter in a 26-11 Los Angeles Chargers win at Dignity Health Sports Park on November 03, 2019 in Carson, California.
The Green Bay Packers had every member of their roster on the practice field Monday in their first session back from the bye week, including a pair of defenders who were last seen in concussion protocol.
While no official injury report has been released for Week 12, both rookie linebacker Ty Summers and kick returner Tremon Smith were back at practice Monday after each took a blow to the head against the Carolina Panthers in Week 10 and exited early in the 24-16 win.
The Packers had also been nursing a few other injuries to key starters on their roster coming into the bye week, as both safety Adrian Amos (hamstring) and cornerback Jaire Alexander (groin) were questionable before ultimately playing against the Panthers.
Star wide receiver Davante Adams had also recently returned from a turf toe injury, for which he received additional treatment during the bye week in hopes of feeling “3 million percent better” for the rest of the season.
Everyone on the Packers roster was on the field for the first post-bye week practice, including Ty Summers and Tre Smith after both left the last game to be evaluated for concussions. t.co/UxTEIztjxz
“I think it’s great,” Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said of the team’s health coming out of the bye. “I think it speaks to the support we have around this organization in terms of keeping our guys healthy. I think it speaks to our players taking care of their bodies. And, with anything like that, there’s also some luck that’s involved there, too, but we’re in pretty good shape right now.”
The Packers (8-2) are gearing up for their fifth prime-time matchup of the season this week when they travel to take on the San Francisco 49ers (9-1) for Sunday Night Football in what amounts to a showdown between the NFC’s top-seeded teams.
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Packers Will Keep Rotations Fresh
The Packers have leaned on less experienced players at times out of necessity this season, but they have also done so by choice in many instances based on competition at some positions. LaFleur said Monday he won’t try narrowing anyone into a specific or situational role entering the final stretch of the regular season, even with everyone healthy.
“Competition is stiff at a lot of the positions, so as long as we feel like there’s an equal level of play, we’ll play as many guys as we can,” LaFleur said. “I think one of the benefits of playing a lot of guys is, first of all, you keep guys fresh and second of all, if you do have a couple of injuries, then you’ve banked reps for guys, so it’s not just their first time out there.”
Some spots on the Packers’ lineup are more fluid than others. Aaron Rodgers isn’t giving up reps for backup Tim Boyle’s sake, nor should he, while Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams are moving pretty efficiently as a one-two rushing attack without much additional help. The receiving corps, though, is the definition of doing a job by committee.
Fourteen different players have caught passes this season, with nine currently sitting with more than 100 receiving yards and six of them eclipsing the 200-yard mark. Despite missing four games, Adams still leads the way with 537 yards, but none have truly solidified as the Packers’ sure No. 2 man.
On defense, the Packers have also shuffled players around in different manners. Za’Darius Smith and Preston Smith are thriving in the pass rush, making for fewer opportunities for Kyler Fackrell and first-round rookie Rashan Gary at outside linebacker. But just behind them at the inside spot, Blake Martinez is the only one not in flux as the Packers have turned to a carousel of Summers, Oren Burks and B.J. Goodson since putting hybrid safety Raven Greene on injured reserve list early in the season.
All the more reason to be happy everyone is healthy.
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