The Green Bay Packers decided to stay put and not make a trade for a running back ahead of the trade deadline on Tuesday, despite being linked with figures such as the Indianapolis Colts’ Jonathan Taylor and the Baltimore Ravens’ Derrick Henry.
And with the news dropping today by way of Ian Rapoport that Josh Jacobs could be back in as little as two weeks, thus missing just one game with the team on a Week 11 bye, it perhaps now makes sense why.
Packers Set to Make IR Decision on Josh Jacobs Saturday
“Packers RB Josh Jacobs, who will have surgery later this week on his broken ring finger, could return as quickly as 2-3 weeks, sources say.” Rapoport posted to X on Wednesday.
“Green Bay will decide Saturday if IR is necessary but it’s not guaranteed. Jacobs is out vs the Vikings before the bye. After that, he’s got a shot.”
Whilst the tone of the report is broadly positive; the beginning and end point to Jacobs potentially missing just one game with his broken finger, this should not be taken as entirely good news.
The report itself is in many ways conflicting, and speaks to the fact that the degree of the injury and the actual recovery stages; despite surgery having been already decided upon; are very much still up-in-the-air.
At this point; if the report is to be believed; Jacobs could miss anywhere from two, to a minimum of five weeks of action if he ends up being placed on injured reserve.
Jacobs Could Land on IR, Face More Discipline From NFL
Head coach Matt LaFleur revealed on Monday that Jacobs could land on IR, and Rapoport’s post confirms that is still very much an option, noting that it is simply “not guaranteed” as the optimistic outlook for the converse.
The feeling is certainly a better one than if it was seeming more and more apparent that the former All-Pro back would certainly be out for the next four games, but nothing appears to be set in stone as of yet.
Moreover, Jacobs could still be facing further disciplinary action from the NFL.
Having already spent six weeks on the Commissioner’s Exempt List of his role in a domestic incident that lead to him pleading no contest to two misdemeanor charges, the ex-Raider was subsequently reportedly accused of domestic abuse by three other women since the first incident occurred back in May.
Josh Jacobs Still Not Out of the Woods Despite Positive Injury Update