Getty Cornerback Jaire Alexander #23 of the Green Bay Packers warms up prior to the game against the Carolina Panthers at Lambeau Field on December 19, 2020 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
The Green Bay Packers have officially activated All-Pro cornerback Jaire Alexander from injured reserve, but it could still be a little while before he is ready to play.
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur told reporters ahead of December 29’s practice that Alexander would return to the 53-man roster on Wednesday, the final day of his activation window. The 24-year-old cornerback has been practicing again with the team for the past three weeks but needed to be activated before 4 p.m. ET on Wednesday or else remain on IR for the remainder of the season.
Alexander has not played since suffering a shoulder injury in Week 4’s win over the Pittsburgh Steelers on October 3, but he was fortunate enough to avoid season-ending surgery and has been steadily working through his recovery in hopes of returning before the Packers are finished playing. Now that he is activated, LaFleur said the plan is to take a “gradual” approach with easing him back into the lineup instead of rushing him back for Week 17’s rematch with the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday Night Football.
“When he’s ready, then he’ll be available,” LaFleur said Wednesday. “I think it’s more or less making sure everybody feels comfortable with where he’s at and making sure he’s good for the long haul.”
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Packers Remain Shorthanded at CB
While Alexander playing against the Vikings still feels like a long shot, the Packers could certainly use a boost at cornerback at the moment. Backups Kevin King and Shemar Jean-Charles are both stuck on the team’s reserve/COVID-19 list, leaving the Packers with Isaac Yiadom as the only available backup on the active roster. That’s a potentially dire situation given Packers players have continued to test positive in recent days.
On the bright side, the NFL issued a memo on Tuesday that detailed some changes to the league’s COVID-19 protocol, including that unvaccinated players must now only spend five days in isolation rather than 10 before being eligible to return. That means that any Packers players who were placed on the COVID-19 reserve list prior to Wednesday will have an opportunity to be activated prior to Sunday’s kickoff.
Unfortunately, any of the Packers’ unvaccinated players who are added to the COVID-19 list in the coming days will be out for Sunday’s home game.
Injury Report Will Offer Next Update on Alexander
Another good thing about Alexander being activated from injured reserve is that the Packers’ injury report will now offer regular updates on his status in practice. Players who have returned to practice but have not yet been activated from IR are not listed on the team’s weekly injury report, which has left Alexander’s progress in practice a bit of a mystery up to this point. Now, it will be easier to monitor whether he is moving in the right direction in terms of his general participation.
For instance, Alexander was listed as a limited participant in Wednesday’s first practice of Week 17. If he builds up to full participation before the end of the week, it could earn him a favorable injury designation for the game against the Vikings and give him a shot at playing for the first time in nearly three months.
The Packers also listed tight end Dominique Dafney (ankle) and running back Aaron Jones (knee) as limited participants in the first practice of the week. Starting quarterback Aaron Rodgers (toe), left tackle David Bakhtiari (knee), defensive lineman Tyler Lancaster (back) and right tackle Billy Turner (knee) all did not practice.