WR Equanimeous St. Brown has returned from a concussion
On Thursday, the first and final time the Green Bay Packers had a true practice this week, most of their participation matched up with their Tuesday (no practice) and Wednesday (walk-thru) estimations. The only difference, in fact, was that receiver Equanimeous St. Brown, who did not play last week due to a concussion, was a full participant on Thursday and has not been given an injury status for Saturday’s game against the Cleveland Browns.
With MVS still on the COVID list, Packers at least get a boost at WR with EQ clearing concussion protocol. pic.twitter.com/pi3dOlr0Dk
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) December 23, 2021
Even though quarterback Aaron Rodgers (toe) and running back Aaron Jones (knee) were not full participants this week, they are expected to play on Christmas. Still, the status of tight end Dominique Dafney (ankle) and receiver Marquez Valdes-Scantling (reserve/Covid-19) are in question for the game. Defensive tackle Kenny Clark, who yesterday was named to the Pro Bowl for the second time, has returned to practice after contracting Covid last week. When head coach Matt LaFleur was asked about Clark’s game-day status this week, he simply stated, “he’s still going through the [NFL’s Covid-19] protocol.”
Packers ruled out for Saturday’s game are left tackle David Bakhtiari (knee), right tackle Billy Turner (knee), linebacker/core special teamer Ty Summers (hamstring) and receiver/core special teamer Malik Taylor (shoulder.) It’s worth noting that Bakhtiari did not practice this week, which LaFleur described as “unloading” earlier in the week. The Packers did sign inside linebacker/special teamer Peter Kalambayi to the practice squad this week, who they could potentially move up on Friday to play Saturday in place of Summers if they do not wish to make rookie Isaiah McDuffie active against the Browns.
The Browns officially ruled out safety John Johnson (hamstring) today while giving defensive end Myles Garrett (groin) and defensive tackle Malik Jackson (knee) questionable designations. The team also is still actively trying to get players to test into the game off of the reserve/Covid-19 list, which should continue until game time with the way the NFL’s adjusted protocols for vaccinated players have changed over the last week.