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The Green Bay Packers headed into the weekend before Week 4 looking relatively healthy. However, the team could be without one of its more consistent starters over the last year after he was a last-minute addition to the injury report.
During the evening on Saturday, October 1, the Packers tweeted that left tackle Yosh Nijman had been added to the injury report due to an illness. The timing of the announcement was worrisome considering it came so late on Saturday night with less than 24 hours to go before kickoff.
This isn’t the first player to appear on the injury report with an illness, either. Last week, both veteran wide receiver Randall Cobb and long-time kicker Mason Crosby appeared on the injury report with an illness, although both were able to play against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers. That being said, both players were on the report earlier in the week, and not the night before.
Packers fans will know more about Nijman’s status when the inactive list is announced 90 minutes before kickoff.
Yosh Nijman Has Exceeded All Expectations in Green Bay
Even if he was never expected to be a long-term starter at left tackle for the Packers, Nijman has done an impressive job holding his own in the role over the past year.
Originally recruited to be a defensive tackle in 2015, Nijman was a 4-star recruit with offers to play for Miami, Temple, and Virginia, but chose to play for the Virginia Tech Hokies. He appeared in 12 games as a freshman before taking on a full-time starting role the remainder of his college career.
Despite being a mainstay on the Hokies offensive line, Nijman never received any national or conference recognition. That hindered his draft stock, with the three-year starter going undrafted in 2019 before being picked up by the Packers.
Originally a practice squad project, Nijman eventually worked his way onto Green Bay’s active roster. With injuries to David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins in 2021, he was forced into the starting left tackle role, playing in all 17 games while starting eight of them.
The Packers offense has continued to roll when Nijman has been out there. Considering where he came from and the unlikelihood of a UDFA becoming a starting left tackle to protect one of the greatest quarterbacks in NFL history, that’s quite the accomplishment.
Other Packers Injury News
Despite Nijman’s late addition to the injury report and Sammy Watkins being placed on injured reserve before Week 3, the Packers head into their game against the Patriots relatively healthy.
According to the team’s official injury report, Bakhtiari is expected to be full-go after not being given any injury designation. The All-Pro left tackle made his season debut last week, but split snaps with Nijman to get acclimated after missing almost all of last season.
The wide receiver room should be healthy for the Packers as well, with Lazard and Christian Watson both without injury designations. Watson missed last week’s game with a hamstring injury, but should be able to show off his speed on Sunday against New England.
Jaire Alexander is the only starter with a questionable designation after tweaking his groin during last week’s game. The Packers may not need him to go with Brian Hoyer starting for the Patriots, so it wouldn’t be a surprise if he’s inactive.
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