Getty Billy Turner #77 of the Green Bay Packers warms up before the game against the Philadelphia Eagles at Lambeau Field on September 26, 2019 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
The Green Bay Packers could once again be forced to adapt their offensive line plan with one of their starters getting added late to the injury report for Sunday afternoon’s home game against the Washington Redskins.
The Packers announced Saturday morning that starting right guard Billy Turner is questionable to play against the Redskins with an unspecified illness, putting his status in doubt for the first time since he signed a four-year, $28 million deal to come to Green Bay in the offseason.
Lucas Patrick, who played a season-high 54 snaps Week 5 against the Cowboys, would be in line to replace him and make his first NFL start.
Otherwise, the Packers (9-3) are mostly expected to be at full strength for their return to Lambeau Field with cornerbacks Kevin King (shoulder) and Tony Brown (heel) the only other two listed as questionable for Sunday’s kickoff. Running back Jamaal Williams was limited in Thursday and Friday’s practices with a new knee injury, but he was cleared to play.
The Redskins have ruled out wide receivers Trey Quinn (concussion) and Paul Richardson Jr. (hamstring) along with safety Deshazor Everett (shoulder) — who was placed on the injured reserve list Saturday afternoon — but have no other players in doubt.
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Turner Has Been A Big Addition in 2019
While there are some issues on the Packers offensive line, Turner hasn’t been one of them. Both he and rookie Elgton Jenkins have been stabilizers for this year’s unit and are helping keep Rodgers on his feet after he was sacked 49 times during the 2018 season.
One of the underrated things about Turner is his ability to play multiple positions across the line, something that nearly became the Packers’ fallback strategy last week when right tackle Bryan Bulaga was questionable with a knee injury. According to Pro Football Focus, he has played 794 snaps on offense and 50 on special teams while committing just two penalties.
“You look at the guys we got (in free agency),” Packers coach Matt LaFleur told reporters this week. “First of all, they’ve all been available all season long with the two Smith Brothers, Adrian Amos and Billy Turner. … And those are some of our best leaders for us, I think all of those guys were home runs.”
Losing Turner for Sunday’s game, or even just having him below 100 percent, could hurt in terms of opening up holes for Aaron Jones and Williams in the run game. The Redskins have already said their defensive strategy in Week 14 will focus on containing the run game and forcing Rodgers to make plays to beat them.
Packers New Punt Returner Gets His Shot
Newcomer Tyler Ervin will make his debut as the Packers punt and kickoff returner after being claimed off the waivers Monday as a replacement for since-released Tremon Williams. And he is well aware of the abysmal numbers that have plagued the Packers’ return units all season.
As ESPN’s Rob Demovsky highlighted, the Packers are on the verge of making history for all the wrong reasons with minus-8 yards in the punt-return game, a treacherous number that is on pace to be an NFL record for fewest punt return yards in a single season.
“It’s just a matter of making good decisions back there and making the play when it’s there, try not to force anything,” Ervin told reporters this week. “For me, like I mentioned, I just try to play my game and when I do that I tend to have some success.”
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