The Packers’ starting right tackle went down with a knee injury in the second quarter vs the Bears.
While the Green Bay Packers have yet to give specifics on tackle Billy Turner’s injury, head coach Matt LaFleur stated today that the team is hopeful that Turner can return to the team this season. When asked for further information, LaFleur said, “I’m not even ready to comment on that yet, because we’re still going through the evaluation.”
If nothing else, the fact that the remainder of the season is in question for Turner speaks to the severity of the injury. The Packers have already lost two other starting offensive linemen, center Josh Myers and guard Elgton Jenkins, for a significant time due to injury in 2021. Myers, who has been out since Week 6, may return this season based on comments at the time of his injury. Jenkins, meanwhile, tore his ACL and will likely be on the same timeline that tackle David Bakhtiari, who has yet to play a game in 2021, has been on since last year.
The best guestimations on Turner’s injury at the moment is that Turner had an MCL injury, the same ligament of the knee that cost running back Aaron Jones a game last month. The severity of the injury, really, is the key to figuring out how long Turner will be out for.
In the meantime, the Packers’ offensive line (left to right) will likely be Yoshuah Nijman, Jon Runyan Jr., Lucas Patrick, Royce Newman and Dennis Kelly. The only Week 1 starter in their current position is rookie fourth-round pick Royce Newman. Should Bakhtiari and Myers return, even if Turner doesn’t, it could allow Patrick to move to a guard position for the playoffs.
LaFleur confirmed today that Ben Braden, who has spent most of the year on the practice squad, will be the team’s swing tackle while Turner is out.