Getty Aaron Jones #33 of the Green Bay Packers works out during training camp at Ray Nitschke Field on July 29, 2021 in Ashwaubenon, Wisconsin.
The Green Bay Packers still have more than a month left until their 2021 season opener against the New Orleans Saints, and that might be a good thing considering the number of players currently sidelined with injuries.
The Packers added five more names to their injury list for Monday’s training-camp practice, including star running back Aaron Jones (hamstring) and nose tackle Kenny Clark (groin). Both players were held out of practice and spent the day working with the team’s rehab group, but it remains unclear whether either will miss significant time with their respective injuries.
RB Aaron Jones’ injury is a hamstring. He’s working on the side with the rehab group.
In addition to Jones and Clark, the Packers also listed new injuries for outside linebacker Rashan Gary (groin) and wide receivers Equanimeous St. Brown (hamstring) and Juwann Winfree (shoulder); though, again, the Packers have not yet made it clear whether there is any long-term concern with any of the three.
The Packers now have 14 players — six starters — unable to practice with the rest of the team as a result of injuries. Za’Darius Smith (back), Kevin King (hamstring), Will Redmond (foot), Kingsley Keke (ankle) and Isaiah McDuffie (hamstring) have all been on the non-football injury list since the beginning of camp on July 27, while Kamal Martin (knee), Randy Ramsey (ankle) and Chris Blair (ankle) have since picked up injuries that have caused them to miss practice time.
All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari also remains on the PUP list as he continues to work back from a torn ACL sustained on New Year’s Eve.
Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst downplayed concerns about some of the players on their NFI list at the beginning of camp, telling reporters he did not believe many of their injured players would have to miss time long term. Only two of them — Tipa Galeai and Henry Black — have since returned to practice, though.
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Multiple TEs Return to Action for Packers
While some of the Packers’ position groups have seen their numbers thin out due to injuries, their tight end room has been getting healthier over the past few days.
Josiah Deguara, their 2020 third-round pick, came off the PUP list on Aug. 5 and has been slowly working his way back into practice after undergoing ACL surgery about 10 months earlier. Dominique Dafney also returned off the PUP list on Monday after missing the start of camp with a knee issue. It may take some time for both of them to fully get back in the swing of things, but the returns of Deguara and Dafney mean the real roster competition at tight end can finally begin for the Packers.
There are no questions about who holds the top two spots on the depth chart after the Packers retained both Robert Tonyan (second-round restricted free agent tender) and Marcedes Lewis (two-year extension) this past offseason, but the depth behind them consists almost exclusively of unproven or inconsistent players.
Former third-round pick Jace Sternberger has been with the Packers the longest, but he has a great deal to prove after playing less than 20% of offensive snaps in his second year and getting deemed a healthy scratch in all six of the Packers’ final games in 2020. He is also ineligible to play in the first two games of the 2021 season after the NFL suspended him for an offseason violation of its substance abuse policy.
The rest of the outfit includes Isaac Nauta (three career receptions for 16 yards), Bronson Kaufusi (converted from defensive end in 2020) and rookie Daniel Crawford, who was just added to the roster last week after going undrafted out of Northern Illinois this past spring.