Hey! The word around town is that there are football players in shorts running around the Packers’ practice fields.Yes, it’s that most glorious of times known as OTAs!. These are still the voluntary practices, but attendance is almost perfect, which tells you something about the passion in these young guys and their belief in what’s attainable this season.
As is usually the case, the first OTAs are also a time when you find out things that have been brewing behind the scenes.
First off, the injury bug seems to have already bitten the Packers. Zach Tom and Tucker Kraft both suffered pectoral injuries over the offseason, joining head coach Matt LaFleur as members of that dubious club. LaFleur hurt himself lifting weights and while it hasn’t been reported, one would likely assume Tom and Kraft likely suffered the same fate. Tom and Kraft are expected to be out “at least” until the beginning fo training camp. Kraft’s arm was in a sling and his injury is considered more serious than Tom’s.
Josh Jacobs has the dreaded H-word – a hamstring injury. He did at least participate in warmups though, and is expected to be fully recovered soon.
We did get some positive injury news as Kingsley Enagbare, widely thought to have suffered an ACL injury in the Dallas playoff game, was participating as a “full go” in OTAs. It turns out Enagbare didn’t suffer a tear and never required surgery. Here he is running around at OTAs in case you need some visual evidence.
Kingsley Enagbare is practicing. Remarkable. pic.twitter.com/cBNQj706Yx
— Andy Herman (@AndyHermanNFL) May 21, 2024
More good news was heard on the Christian Watson front. After working with the experts down in UW-Madison over the offseason, they think they found the root of his hamstring issues. It seems at some point, the strength in his two legs became asymmetrical, as in, not the same. After identifying that, they gave Watson a plan for getting that symmetry back and Watson says he feels really good and thinks it’s working. A fully healthy Watson would be HUGE for this offense. You can listen to his locker room interview here.
The more I read about Packers draft pick Marshawn Lloyd, the more I can’t understand how he managed to stay somewhat under the radar with regards to draft content. I saw plenty of hype about other running backs leading up to the draft but not that much about Lloyd. Wes Hodkiewicz at Packers.com just did a long form article about Lloyd and you’ll be impressed by the dedication and work ethic the young man and his family employed to allow him to live his dream. I mean, his mother drove him to high school two hours each way so he could play at a private school with a strong football program. Definitely a great read worth your time.
Some guys just can’t stop talking. It could get interesting when the 49ers come to town.
I can’t even lie I’m having so much fun playing football again… The situation I was in was making me lose my love for the game but I’m back having fun again and I love that for myself. Thank you God 🙏🏿
— De’Vondre Campbell (@Came_Along_Way) May 20, 2024
My thoughts exactly when I saw Wes’s tweet below:
It’s still incredible that the last S&C crew was apparently tried EVERYTHING to figure out the injury issue, yet somehow proper warmup got overlooked. #SMH https://t.co/UZQlQRGNPr
— Packers Weekly Podcast (@PackWeeklyPod) May 21, 2024
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“Jersey Al” Bracco is the Editor-In-Chief, part owner and wearer of many hats for CheeseheadTV.com and PackersTalk.com. He is also a recovering Mason Crosby truther. Follow Al on twitter at @JerseyalGBP.
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