Green Bay Packers injury update: Three up, two down and one in waiting

The Green Bay Packers hit the practice field for the first time since Sunday’s dramatic 27-24 win over the Miami Dolphins minus their two starting cornerbacks, Sam Shields and Tramon Williams.

UPDATE: Here is what Head Coach Mike McCarthy said about Shields and Williams:

That’s a huge concern for Green Bay as they head into Sunday’s showdown at Lambeau Field against the Cam Newton-led Carolina Panthers – a team for which the Packers will need all the run support they can get.

Jamari Lattimore (57) returned to practice today. Jason Wilde photograph

On the flip side of the injury front, the Packers did welcome back defensive lineman Datone Jones, who was out with a bad ankle; wide receiver Jarrett Boykin, who has been out with a strained groin; and most importantly, linebacker Jamari Lattimore, who left Sunday’s game with a neck strain and leaving the Packers with Brad Jones in his place.

In addition, center J.C. Tretter who was the starter before being injured one week prior to the season-opener, was also practicing for the first time. He is not eligible to play until the Nov. 9 game against the Chicago Bears at Lambeau Field.

But it’s the cornerback position which will be crucial to watch as the rest of the week unfolds. If neither Shields nor Williams make it back on the field for Sunday’s game it leaves the team precariously thin at cornerback.

Replacing them in the lineup would be Davon House and Casey Hayward, with Jarrett Bush in reserve.

One of the likely scenarios would have the Packers moving Micah Hyde back to the slot corner and starting rookie safety Ha Ha Clinton-Dix.

With cornerback one of the Packers’ deepest positions, it’s a good thing they have House and Hayward in place, but should any of those guys go down to injury it will leave them even more desperate at the position.

Another good note is getting Datone Jones back into the defensive line rotation. With the emergence of Letroy Guion over the past couple of weeks, the defensive line is stronger than it has been, but without Jones last week, there were also few bodies to turn to should an injury occur. That changes with the return of Jones.

Jarrett Boykin returned to practice today.

As for Boykin, one has to think that he’s got to work his way back into the lineup. When he was gone the past three weeks we’ve seen rookie Davante Adams declare himself the third wide receiver.

It’s clear that quarterback Aaron Rodgers has gained a tremendous amount of confidence in the rookie receiver – a fact that was evident when Rodgers went to him on the fake spike play with 13 seconds remaining on the clock in last week’s game at Miami. After Adams caught the pass from Rodgers and stepped out of bounds at the four yard line with six seconds remaining, it put the Packers in the position of winning the game on the very next play.

So, with three up and two yet down, it’s not all bad news for the Green Bay Packers as they prepare for the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

It would be much better with Shields and Williams back in the lineup, but if they can’t make it back, the team is in pretty good shape with the backups. But the team can’t afford any others to go down.

Stay tuned on this one …