Packers: The injury bug bites and creates opportunities
Ty Montgomery and Josh Jones are two respective Green Bay Packers who can now be officially added to the walking wounded list in Packers News.
The most recent news that both Montgomery and Jones are battling lower leg injuries doesn’t come as a surprise at this time of year.
As players across the NFL have been stressing their bodies, stretching muscles, tendons and nerves to the limit as Training Camp 2017 has been under way for the past couple of weeks.
It’s not a surprise that players begin to feel the nicks, scrapes, and bruises.
Just as we thought it was safe to start talking about the limited number of injuries in Green Bay, the body count begins to mount.
More from Lombardi Ave
- Packers: Picks in NFL.com mock draft would be a home run
- Packers salary cap update following second week of free agency
- Packers’ cornerback depth chart after second week of free agency
- Packers’ edge rusher depth chart after second week of free agency
- Packers’ tackle depth chart after second week of free agency
In addition to Montgomery and rookie Jones, the Packers have also lost the services of third-year cornerback Damarious Randall and rookie wide receiver Malachi Dupre, who both are undergoing the concussion protocol after suffering hellacious hits in last Thursday’s game against the Philadelphia Eagles.
Those four players are also joined by safety Jermaine Whitehead and linebacker Vince Biegel.
Biegel, the Wisconsin Badger whose presence on the field is much anticipated, has been completing rehabilitation work but is still on the PUP list and will not be activated for this weekend’s second preseason game at Washington.
Though the total number of players who have been sidelined isn’t alarming at this point, we can surely expect that there will be others. The preseason is long … too long, in my honest opinion. Teams that hit the field at the beginning of training camp are decidedly different from the players who fill the 53-man roster come September. That difference is partially due to injuries.
With close to 40 players expected to be released with the final cutdown at the end of the preseason, the Packers will eventually have to send some to injured reserve. Our hope is that list doesn’t grow too much in the coming weeks.
The upside to injuries in the NFL is that it provides opportunities for those a step down in the depth chart awaiting the chance to make it onto the field.
While the loss of Montgomery, the team’s leading candidate to be the starting running back come opening day, is unfortunate, it also opens the door for guys like Jamaal Williams, Aaron Jones, Devante Mays, William Stanback, and Kalif Phillips.
The competition among these rookies has been a process, but with Montgomery not scheduled for any reps in the coming days, this is the time when Packers coaches hope some of these younger guys step up and show themselves.
To date, that hasn’t been the case, but one that is surely to work itself out in the near future … after all, there are only three more games to make an impact.
Teams, the Packers included, treat injuries much differently than they did even as recently as five years ago. All teams error on the side of caution – a fact that has a dramatic effect on the team’s active roster.
It also has a significant influence on coaching strategies and planning. Never before have head coaches had to assure the depth of the team at key positions stay strong and deep.
That’s a difficult task, and one of the reasons why the Packers have had success in the recent future, despite large numbers of players being injured.
Next: Top five fantasy sleepers from the NFC North
Expect the injuries to mount, but also expect the Packers to be ready to address those injuries by plugging in players who are well prepared … and players who have been waiting for the opportunity to shine.