Getty Billy Turner #77 of the Green Bay Packers works against T.J. Watt #90 of the Pittsburgh Steelers during a game at Lambeau Field on October 03, 2021 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
The Green Bay Packers have lost veteran right tackle Billy Turner to a knee injury for the time being, but it is possible it won’t be for the rest of the 2021 season.
Turner was forced out of Week 14’s win over the Chicago Bears late in the second quarter when he sustained a painful left knee injury that resulted from a defender being inadvertently blocked into him. He did manage to walk off the field without assistance, but the Packers quickly ruled him out before the second-half kickoff, raising concerns that he was dealing with a severe knee injury.
Fortunately, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur was not all doom and gloom talking about Turner’s injury on Wednesday. In fact, he even offered some hope when asked whether he thought the 30-year-old starter would play again this season.
“I think so,” LaFleur told reporters on December 15, “but I think we’re kind of still going through everything to see where he’s at.”
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David Bakhtiari Returns to Practice
Predictably, Turner did not participate in Wednesday’s first practice of the week, but the Packers offensive line did get some good news on the day. All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari was able to practice in a limited capacity for the first time since getting activated off the physically unable to perform (PUP) list on November 10.
While Bakhtiari is probably still a long shot to play against the Baltimore Ravens in Week 15, any progress is good progress for the Packers’ blindside blocker. He is closing in on the one-year mark from when he tore his ACL in practice and would be an especially valuable addition at this point given the injuries for the group.
Aside from Turner, the Packers are also still missing Pro Bowl guard/tackle Elgton Jenkins (out for the season) and rookie center Josh Myers (still on injured reserve). Only one of their Week 1 starters — rookie right guard Royce Newman — has not moved from his original spot on the offensive line, putting them in a depth-starved situation where inexperienced guard Ben Braden is serving as the backup at both tackle spots.
Packers Add Starting WR to the Injury Report
Unfortunately, the Packers didn’t have exclusively good injury news to share on Wednesday. They added starting wide receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling to their injury report with a knee injury and kept him limited in the first practice session of Week 15; although, it was noted to just be a walkthrough and not a full practice.
While it is a little early to worry about MVS’ status for game day, the Packers do not need another banged-up member of their receiving corps. They recently placed veteran slot receiver Randall Cobb on injured reserve and are currently practicing without Equanimeous St. Brown, who sustained a concussion in Week 14’s win over Chicago. They also have Malik Taylor battling an abdominal injury.
Right now, the only injury-free receivers on the Packers’ active roster are Davante Adams, Allen Lazard, Amari Rodgers and Juwann Winfree.
The Packers also limited Aaron Jones (knee) and Taylor (abdomen) in Wednesday’s walkthrough and completely held out quarterback Aaron Rodgers (toe), St. Brown and tight end Dominique Dafney (ankle) due to injuries. Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander was also present and practicing, entering the second week of his 21-day activation window from injured reserve. Za’Darius Smith did not return to practice.