Getty Kevin King #20 of the Green Bay Packers warms up before the game against the Baltimore Ravens at M&T Bank Stadium on December 19, 2021 in Baltimore, Maryland.
The Green Bay Packers have added a few more names to their reserve/COVID-19 prior to hosting the Cleveland Browns on Christmas Day.
Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst placed veteran cornerback Kevin King on the COVID-19 list on Saturday about an hour before kickoff against the Browns.
King has struggled to stay on the field throughout the 2021 season, missing seven games due to a myriad of injuries. The Packers have also recently reduced his role on defense in favor of cornerbacks Rasul Douglas and first-round rookie Eric Stokes, playing King on just 16 total defensive snaps over the past two weeks.
According to Pro Football Focus, King has been targetted 25 times in coverage this season and allowed 18 total receptions for a combined 269 yards and two touchdowns. He also recorded an interception in Week 10 against the Seattle Seahawks in one of his best performances of the season.
King is due to become an unrestricted free agent in March 2022.
The Packers were also forced to place fifth-round rookie Shemar Jean-Charles on the COVID-19 list and outside linebacker La’Darius Hamilton on the practice-squad COVID-19 list. Additionally, they elevated cornerback Innis Gaines from the practice squad to the game-day roster for Saturday’s matchup with the Browns.
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Jaire Alexander Remains on Injured Reserve
In addition to the Packers losing a few cornerbacks to the COVID-19 list, they will also spend at least one more week without All-Pro cornerback Jaire Alexander after declining to activate him from injured reserve prior to Saturday’s game.
Alexander suffered a significant shoulder injury during Week 4’s win over the Pittsburgh Steelers and has not played since, but he returned to practice in Week 14 following the Packers’ bye week and opened his 21-day activation window from injured reserve. The Packers will have until December 29 to either activate him to the active roster or leave him on IR for the remainder of the season; though, it seems unlikely he won’t return given he has been steadily ramping up in practice over the past few weeks.
The Packers could also activate Alexander and continue to give him time to rest before playing him. All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari was activated from IR back on November 10, but he has still not rejoined the lineup and returned to the game field. In fact, the Packers even shut him down again in Week 16 as they look to ensure he is at 100% before playing him with a priority placed on having him for the postseason.
Sizing Up Packers’ Cornerback Situation
If the Packers were losing just one cornerback to the COVID-19 list, it might not be much of a problem for them to overcome. But without Alexander, King and Jean-Charles, they are down to starters Douglas and Stokes, slot cornerback Chandon Sullivan and backup Isaac Yiadom — who has struggled to even create a meaningful role for himself on special teams.
Now, the Packers also have the newly-elevated Gaines to introduce into the rotation as well, but he has never played an NFL snap before. That could be problematic if another cornerback goes down with an injury, especially with some inconsistency on the part of Stokes, Sullivan and Yiadom.