Getty Darnell Savage #26 of the Green Bay Packers against the Cincinnati Bengals at Paul Brown Stadium on October 10, 2021 in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Shortly after making his debut as the Green Bay Packers’ new punt returner, David Moore is heading to the COVID-19 list along with two others.
Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst placed starting safety Darnell Savage Jr. and starting right tackle Dennis Kelly on the active roster’s reserve/COVID-19 list, while Moore — who officially signed with the team on December 30 — was added to the practice squad’s version of the reserve list on January 3.
The Packers also activated outside linebacker Chauncey Rivers from the COVID-19 reserve and reverted him back to injured reserve, where he has been for the majority of the season with a season-ending injury. Additionally, backup kicker Elliott Fry was released from the practice squad after being signed this past weekend for an emergency option behind Mason Crosby with JJ Molson in COVID-19 protocol.
The Packers had a flurry of players land on the COVID-19 reserve list in Week 17 with the number of active-roster players in the league’s protocol reaching double-digits; however, they were able to clear all but three of them for return prior to their kickoff with the Minnesota Vikings for Sunday Night Football.
The Packers will face the Detroit Lions for their regular-season finale at 1 p.m. on Sunday, January 9, but the postseason implications are nonexistent after the team clinched the No. 1 seed in the NFC with their blowout win over the Vikings on Sunday. In other words, if a few starters are unable to return, it won’t be the end of the world.
Update (01/04 at 4:34 p.m. ET): The Packers activated both Savage and Kelly from the COVID-19 reserve list on the afternoon of January 4, but Moore remains on the list as he continues working through the league’s return protocol. They also added injured right tackle Billy Turner to the reserve list.
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Rodgers & Keke Both in Process of Returning
The Packers’ official roster shows that five active-roster players — including Amari Rodgers, Kingsley Keke and Jaire Alexander — and four practice-squad players remain on their COVID-19 reserve list, but Rodgers and Keke are at least partway through the return process.
According to the NFL’s transactions wire for January 3, both Rodgers and Keke were technically activated from the reserve list on Monday along with Rivers, but they were each granted roster exemptions that are given to players who have been medically cleared to return. The benefit of roster exemptions is that neither player immediately counts toward the 53-man roster total, giving the Packers time to assess each player’s physical condition after battling with COVID-19 and to sort their active roster.
Rodgers’ timing could end up being pretty good for the Packers with Moore’s new designation for the COVID-19 reserve list. While Rodger has been serving as the team’s primary punt returner for the majority of the season, the Packers brought in Moore last week when Rodgers was out and elevated him against the Vikings, finding moderate success with the veteran wide receiver.
Moore returned three punts for 33 yards in his Packers debut against the Vikings with a solid 21-yard return that is already longer than any of Rodgers’ returns this season. Meanwhile, Rodgers has fielded 19 punts on the yard for an average of 7.5 yards per return, including a season-long return of 17 yards.