Getty Allen Lazard #13 of the Green Bay Packers warms up before the game against the Los Angeles Chargers at Dignity Health Sports Park on November 03, 2019 in Carson, California.
Two of the most prominent occupants of the Green Bay Packers’ injured reserve list have officially returned to the practice field.
The Packers welcomed back wide receiver Allen Lazard and middle linebacker Christian Kirksey for Wednesday’s practice after each spent the majority of the past month on IR. Each of them will now have a 21-day window to be designated for return to the Packers’ active roster but could be back for Sunday’s home game against the Minnesota Vikings.
Rodgers ➡️ Lazard for the first time in a month
Lazard sustained a core-muscle injury while putting up a career-best 146 receiving yards on the New Orleans Saints in Week 3, depriving the Packers of their second-best wide receiver behind Davante Adams. He was forced to undergo surgery but told reporters shortly after he was expecting a “short recovery time.”
Kirksey was also injured during Week 3’s win over the Saints and has now missed three of his first six games for the Packers after being tabbed as their new primary signal-caller during the offseason. While details on his shoulder injury have been sparse, the 28-year-old linebacker had been the team’s leading tackler prior to dropping out of the lineup.
The Packers would need to clear space on their 53-man roster before designating either Lazard or Kirksey for return but have typically waited until later in the week to follow through with any such move. Equanimeous St. Brown and Kamal Martin have both come back from IR this season and were each activated about 24 hours ahead of game day.
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Bakhtiari Limited, Other Stars Remain Sidelined
It wasn’t just returning faces from IR that gave the Packers a boost at Wednesday’s practice. Multiple players who were inactive for Week 7’s win over Houston, including All-Pro left tackle David Bakhtiari, also returned in some capacity from their respective injuries.
Bakhtiari had started 50 consecutive games until a chest injury held him out last week against the Texans, but his limited participation to begin the week offers an encouraging sign about his status against the Vikings this Sunday. The Packers also gave limited work to safety Darnell Savage Jr. (quadricep), punt returner Tyler Ervin (wrist) and defensive lineman Tyler Lancaster (shoulder) — all three of which did not play in Week 7.
Unfortunately, the Packers also had a few additions to the injury report coming out of the weekend, including Mason Crosby — their only rostered kicker — with a left calf/back injury. The Packers have brought in a kicker for a workout just about every week since the season, so finding a short-term replacement shouldn’t be too difficult if necessary, but it remains to be seen whether his status is in jeopardy this week.
The Packers also added long snapper Hunter Bradley (groin), safety Raven Greene (oblique) and Kamal Martin (knee) to Wednesday’s report as limited participants, while running back Aaron Jones and cornerback Kevin King both did not practice.
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Pair of Packers Starters Return to Practice From Injured Reserve