Getty David Montgomery #32 of the Chicago Bears is brought down by Christian Kirksey #58 and Raven Greene #24 of the Green Bay Packers during the game at Lambeau Field on November 29, 2020 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.
The Green Bay Packers picked up their second straight win in Week 13 and moved to 9-3 on the season, but not before losing a few players to some worrisome injuries.
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur told reporters Monday there is “a lot of concern” about the injuries that forced running back/return specialist Tyler Ervin (ankle), defensive lineman Billy Winn (triceps) and safety Raven Greene (shoulder) out of Sunday’s win over the Philadelphia Eagles.
According to ESPN’s Rob Demovsky, the worry is the Packers will have to spend significant time without all three players and even potentially the remainder of the 2020 season. It remains unclear whether any of them will be placed on injured reserve and miss the required three games, but some degree of roster management can be expected.
The Packers fear they could be without S Raven Greene (shoulder), WR/RB/KR Tyler Ervin (ankle) and DT Billy Winn (triceps) for a significant amount of time and possibly the rest of the season. Coach Matt LaFleur used the word “concerned” to describe all… t.co/DfBDIa52ur
LaFleur also said he has no updates on wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown or tight end Jace Sternberger, who each came out of Sunday’s game to be evaluated for a concussion.
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Packers Signings Help Soften Blow
The Packers aren’t losing any starters with their new injuries, but there are still a few places where contributors will be missed.
Ervin has been the Packers’ primary punt and kick returner since the middle of last season. Greene has played 43% of the team’s defensive snaps this season as a safety/dime linebacker combo package with another 112 snaps on special teams. Even Winn had been eyed for a bigger role after Montravius Adams was placed on IR last week.
Fortunately, the Packers will have more help on hand for at least two of those positions in Week 14 with the expected debuts of newcomers Tavon Austin and Anthony Rush. The former is the bigger component, as Austin logged 3,346 yards from scrimmage and 25 touchdowns over his first seven NFL seasons. He also possesses the ideal speed to replace Ervin as both a returner and an option on jet sweep plays.
Rush has nowhere near the same experience as a second-year defensive lineman, but he gives them a 350-pound run-stopper for the bottom of their depth chart to fill out the reps lefts behind by Adams — and now Winn. He should step in as the fifth man in the rotation behind Dean Lowry, Kenny Clark, Kingsley Keke and Tyler Lancaster.
Another Rookie Safety Could Get Roster Shot
Greene and his utility as the Packers’ dime linebacker will be the most challenging thing for them to replace during his time away, but a good start would be calling up undrafted rookie safety Henry Black for depth reinforcements.
Black has already been promoted four times to the game-day roster, twice as a COVID-19 replacement, and taken snaps on defense in three appearances. His NFL debut saw him register two tackles and a forced fumble on just six defensive snaps. He also played a good chunk of special teams snaps when on the roster.
An active-roster contract for Black wouldn’t likely see him take on a sharp increase of snaps compared with his game-day stints, but adding a sixth safety to the main rotation would give the Packers a little more security as they experiment with others for the dime spot — potentially Will Redmond or seventh-round rookie Vernon Scott.
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