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The Green Bay Packers are activating fourth-year offensive lineman Jake Hanson off the physically unable to perform (PUP) list ahead of their first practice of 2023 training camp, cutting short his stay on the injury list.
Hanson was placed on an injury list along with five other Packers when players began to report for camp at the end of last week, but he was activated one day later after passing his physical and is now cleared to participate in the first practice on Tuesday, July 25. The 26-year-old interior offensive lineman missed the final 11 games of the 2022 season with a significant biceps injury that landed him on the injured reserve list last October.
Hanson should have an opportunity to contend for a starting spot with the Packers’ offensive line in the month ahead with multiple interior spots up for grabs in 2023. He was the team’s Week 1 starter at right guard due to injuries last season and was tapped to replace Royce Newman at the position midway through their Week 6 bout with the New York Jets, but he suffered his season-ending injury after just five snaps.
While Hanson does have experience in the Packers’ offense, though, it could be difficult for him to emerge from camp as a regular-season starter with Elgton Jenkins, Josh Myers, Jon Runyan Jr. and Zach Tom all competing for interior roles with the team. Hanson will have the added advantage of being able to play at both guard and center, but he could just as easily end up on the chopping block if he struggles during August.
Which OL Will Emerge as Starters for the Packers in 2023?
The Packers have a solid crop of starting candidates for their offensive line heading into the 2023 season. David Bakhtiari, a five-time All-Pro, is now long removed from his ACL injury and will be looking to resume his dominant level of play on a full-season basis as Jordan Love’s blindside blocker. Pro Bowler Elgton Jenkins is also a solid lock to begin the season alongside Bakhtiari as the Packers’ starting left guard.
The remaining three positions, though? Competition is going to have to sort them out.
At center, Josh Myers remains the Packers’ best bet to begin the season as their starting center. While he missed a large chunk of his rookie season with an injury and struggled in the role when he returned for his second season in 2022, he still possesses the most potential at the position and should be able to lock it down so long as he doesn’t perform worse than either of his two challengers, Hanson and second-year Sean Rhyan.
The Packers’ right tackle position should be a little more competitive. Yosh Nijman, who has climbed the ranks for the Packers over the past two years, enters camp as the presumptive starter, but Tom — a versatile standout as a rookie in 2022 — could give him a run for his money. The Packers are expected to have Tom competing both inside and out on the offensive line, but he might be too good of a talent to bring off the bench.
Then there’s the right guard spot. Runyan is entering the final year of his rookie contract and figures to hold down the role again in 2023, but the Packers have a lot of younger talent behind him with Tom, Rhyan, Hanson and Newman. If the Packers get strong performances out of the other four, it is possible that they consider trading Runyan to a guard-needy team and elevate their next-best guard to a starting role.
Multiple Packers Starters Remain on Injury List to Start Camp
While Hanson had a quick turnaround on the preseason PUP list, the Packers still have several other key players unavailable as they prepare for the start of camp this week.
The two marquee names on the PUP list are outside linebacker Rashan Gary (ACL) and cornerback Eric Stokes (ankle), who both suffered season-ending injuries in 2022. While it is not terribly surprising that neither defensive starter is ready for the first week of camp given the nature of their injuries, Stokes is a bit more surprising than Gary after Sports Illustrated’s Bill Huber reported back in March that the 2021 first-rounder was “ahead of schedule” and was “not expected to miss any portion of camp.”
The Packers also placed wide receiver Jeff Cotton on the PUP list and added rookies Grant DuBose (seventh-round receiver) and Camren McDonald (undrafted tight end) to the non-football injury list. DuBose was sidelined for the Packers’ entire offseason program with an undisclosed injury, but his ongoing injury status could determine his chances of being able to make the 53-man roster, as is the case for the other two.
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