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The Green Bay Packers have officially dropped no game status for both defensive tackle Karl Brooks and linebacker Quay Walker. Brooks only played four snaps against the Minnesota Vikings two weeks ago and was inactive against the Detroit Lions on Thanksgiving, but is now set to be the replacement starter in place of Devonte Wyatt. Walker, meanwhile, has fully missed the last two games with a stinger. Both coming back to the lineup will be a big boost for the Packers, who are hoping to shut down one of the better running games in the NFL on Sunday against the Chicago Bears.
Once Lukas Van Ness made his comments about going back through the rehab process, it was pretty obvious that the defensive end wasn’t going to play this week. It’s also not surprising that either MarShawn Lloyd or Collin Oliver, who are both current members of the Packers’ injury lists, won’t suit up in this one. Wyatt will also be going on the injured reserve soon, likely whenever receiver Jayden Reed is activated to the 53-man roster.
The only big piece of news here is that receiver/returner Savion Williams is going to miss a second straight game. In his pre-practice press conference, head coach Matt LaFleur seemed semi-optimistic about Williams potentially playing this week. Williams is dealing with a foot injury that has led to him wearing a walking boot regularly during the season. It has been branded as a pain tolerance issue, but now Green Bay will have to turn to Bo Melton in the kick return game for the second straight week.
There are a couple of cluster injuries here to watch.
First of all, if Williams, Reed and Golden are all out, look for the Packers to elevate receiver Will Sheppard from the practice squad on Saturday. He will be the canary in the coal mine leading up to the game, if Green Bay doesn’t think that at least one of Reed or Golden can suit up against the Bears.
Secondly, the slot defender position is in a bad spot if both Hobbs and Bullard are out. Bullard is the team’s number one choice at the position, while Hobbs has played the role whenever Bullard was injured. If both are out, the next man up is likely safety Kitan Oladapo, who has only played two snaps of defense for the Packers this season and has only ever played more than a dozen-ish snaps in an NFL game once in his short professional career. It will be an unboxing of sorts if Oladapo is forced to play the slot role full-time on...
