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The Green Bay Packers are still awaiting final word on the severity of Jaire Alexander’s shoulder injury, but the “initial diagnosis” seems to suggest they could be without their top cornerback for at least a short period of time.
According to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network, the Packers believe that Alexander “suffered an AC joint injury in his shoulder” during Week 4’s win over the Pittsburgh Steelers. Alexander had absorbed a hit from Steelers running back Najee Harris in the third quarter that left him needing the attention of the training staff and sidelined him for the remainder of the game.
“Obviously, he’s a guy who is very important to us, just one of the premier corners in this league,” Packers head coach Matt LaFleur told reporters in the postgame after saying he had received no update on Alexander’s condition yet. “Hopefully it all checks out well and he’ll be back with us.”
The Packers will presumably have Alexander undergo further testing on Monday, October 4, but an injury to his AC joint could be problematic for his availability. If it proves to be severe, it could hold him out for several weeks, while even a best-case situation might still cost him a game or two.
It doesn’t help that the Packers’ other veteran cornerback, Kevin King, has missed the past two games with a concussion. If neither one of them is available in Week 5 when they head to Cincinnati, they would be down to first-round rookie Eric Stokes and Chandon Sullivan as their top two cornerback options with only Isaac Yiadom, Shemar Jean-Charles and Kabion Ento (practice squad) to back them up.
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How Will Packers Cope if Alexander Misses Time?
The Packers have been fortunate to not have to spend much time without Alexander on the field since drafting him in 2018’s first round. While he was inactive for three games as a rookie, he has only missed one game since — in Week 10 of the 2020 season — and has consistently brought an elite level of coverage skills to their defense.
Alexander allowed just 353 yards and two touchdowns across 634 coverage snaps last season for the Packers, earning second-time All-Pro recognition and getting hailed as the top outside cornerback in the league by Pro Football Focus heading into 2021. He mostly lived up to his elite reputation through the first four games, too; though, Steelers wide receiver Diontae Johnson burned him for a 45-yard touchdown early in the first quarter before he dropped out with his shoulder injury.
Instead of getting to see Alexander bounce back from his mistake, though, the Packers could be potentially facing their first extended period of in-season time without him in the lineup. They managed to hold things down against Jacksonville last season with a combination of Sullivan, Josh Jackson and Ka’dar Hollman, but the latter two are no longer on the roster. They are also set to face a more formidable slate of quarterbacks over the next month, including Joe Burrow (Week 5), Justin Fields (Week 6) and Kyler Murray (Week 8).
The Packers could look to Yiadom for a bigger role if Alexander misses time. He started 18 games over the past two seasons with different teams and beat out Hollman and Ento for the final roster spot after being acquired in a trade from the New York Giants. If they prefer not to move Sullivan out of the slot, there’s a chance he could start at the second outside spot opposite Stokes in the absence of their top two veterans.
It also seems likely the Packers would promote Ento to the active roster in the event that Alexander and King were both sidelined. He had an uneven preseason that cost him a spot on the 53-man roster, but he is a familiar talent the Packers have invested a lot of time into developing.
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