Getty Montravius Adams #90 of the Green Bay Packers rushes against the Minnesota Vikings at Lambeau Field on September 16, 2018 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. The Vikings and the Packers tied 29-29 after overtime.
The defensive line depth for the Green Bay Packers might have just gotten thinner.
Packers defensive lineman Montravius Adams was carted off the field during Tuesday’s training camp practice and suffered a sprained toe injury that is “something to watch” but “doesn’t sound serious,” according to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport.
Outside linebacker Za’Darius Smith and left tackle David Bakhtiari also each dropped out of the team’s first padded practice on Tuesday with their own apparent injuries, while starting center Corey Linsley did not participate at all.
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur told media after practice that Linsley sat out for “precautionary reasons” and clarified “there’s nothing major there” regarding his starting center, but he said he had not yet been given updates on his other three injured players.
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Adams’ Injury Could Derail Crucial Preseason
Adams came into a crucial fourth training camp with the Packers looking to atone for both a disappointing 2019 season and an offseason arrest that landed him in headlines for the wrong reasons, but his latest injury could spell trouble for his job security.
Adams played just 187 defensive snaps last season — 25 fewer than he played in 2018 — and took the majority of those reps during the first half of the season, falling off sharply after the Packers’ Week 11 bye and playing just a single defensive down in each of their final two regular-season games. He also struggled to contribute when he did make it on the field, finishing with just 11 tackles to push his three-year career total to 33.
“Mon is talent, there’s no doubt about it,” LaFleur said Tuesday of the 2017 third-round pick. “I think he works hard and he finishes to the ball. He does a lot of great things. What it’s going to come down to is playing his responsibility and doing it consistently.”
The Packers recently locked down star nose tackle Kenny Clark with a long-term contract extension, but the rest of their defensive line remains questionable after struggles arose in 2019. Aside from Adams, the team also returned Dean Lowry, Tyler Lancaster and Kingsley Keke for 2020 while adding veteran Treyvon Hester and undrafted rookie Willington Previlon.
Bakhtiari Had Foot Examined by Trainer
As Matt Schneidman of The Athletic described, Bakhtiari came limping off the field toward the end of practice and had Packers trainers examining his left foot, but he was able to move under his own power without a visible limp and follow his teammates into the locker room after practice concluded. Good news for the Packers, as trying to replace their four-time All-Pro left tackle would be almost as challenging as replacing Aaron Rodgers.
A replacement for Smith would be easier to find with first-rounder Rashan Gary waiting in the wings, but ESPN’s Rob Demovsky said there was no reason to think Smith’s early departure from practice was over anything serious. Smith struggled with cramping throughout stretches of the 2019 season and had injury timeouts called on his behalf during a few games.
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