The Green Bay Packers have reportedly placed inside linebacker Krys Barnes on injured reserve.
The Green Bay Packers will be without backup inside linebacker Krys Barnes for at least the next four games.
According to Matt Schneidman of The Athletic, the Packers have placed Barnes on injured reserve. That move made room for tackle Caleb Jones, who was promoted to the active roster from the practice squad on Tuesday.
This move doesn’t come as a surprise. Barnes suffered an ankle injury in Green Bay’s season opener against the Minnesota Vikings and needed to be carted off the field.
While it’s unclear when Barnes could return, head coach Matt LaFleur did say this week that the belief is Barnes “avoided significant injury”, which is good news.
Whether he will be ready to return after four games remains to be seen, but it’s encouraging to hear that the injury isn’t a season-ending one.
Per NFL Network’s Mike Garafolo, the injured reserve rules have been updated for the 2022 season.
Each team can designate eight players to return from injured reserve — including the same player twice — but they must miss four games before being able to return.
Green Bay will likely bring Barnes back from injured reserve once he’s fully healthy.
He provides depth at inside linebacker behind De’Vondre Campbell and Quay Walker, while also playing an important role on special teams.
According to Pro Football Reference, Barnes played nine defensive snaps in Week 1 before getting injured. He filled in for rookie Walker, who exited the game due to a shoulder injury. Barnes also played 15 special teams snaps, which was the fifth-most for the Packers.
Hopefully Barnes will make a quick recovery and will be able to return sooner rather than later. The earliest he can return is the Packers’ game against the New York Jets in Week 6.