Packers-Cowboys Injury Report: Four Starters Return
GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers’ injury outlook has improved ahead of Sunday’s game against the Dallas Cowboys.
After eight starters sat out Wednesday’s practice, four returned on Thursday. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers, offensive linemen David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins and receiver Sammy Watkins were limited participation on Thursday. Also, rookie receiver Christian Watson (concussion protocol) is off the injury report.
Linebacker De’Vondre Campbell, cornerback Eric Stokes and receiver Romeo Doubs were out again and almost certainly won’t play on Sunday, and outside linebacker Rashan Gary was placed on injured reserve on Wednesday.
Campbell suffered a knee injury at Buffalo last week and has been riding an exercise bike during the media portion of practice. That he hasn’t gone on injured reserve, which mean a four-game layoff, obviously is a good sign that it’s not a major, season-threatening injury.
Stokes (ankle and knee) and Doubs (ankle) suffered significant injuries on Sunday at Detroit. Stokes hopped through the locker room on crutches on Wednesday. He said he didn’t know the extent of the injury. Doubs is expected to be out at least a few weeks with a high-ankle sprain.
“I’m not too worried,” Stokes said. “It is what it is. That’s what I keep telling myself. Life happens. I know what I signed up for. So, I know every chance I go out there, what I could be doing to myself.”
With the injury ending Gary’s season, rookie Kingsley Enagbare will move into the starting lineup alongside Preston Smith. He had sacks against the Jets and Commanders and had another against the Lions that was nullified by a questionable roughing-the-passer penalty.
“We lost one of our soldiers on the team, one of our leaders of the team; really, one of our best players on the team,” Enagbare said. “Understand a lot of guys in our room, including me, is going to have to step up this coming week and the weeks to come after that.”
For the Cowboys, who are coming off their bye, linebacker Anthony Barr (hamstring) was the only player to not practice. Running back Ezekiel Elliott is “day to day,” Cowboys coach Mike McCarthy told reporters. Elliott missed the team’s last game, Oct. 30 against Chicago, with a knee injury.
A week of rest and a shorter injury report should give the Cowboys an advantage over the slumping Packers.
“I don’t put a whole lot of time into it, frankly,” McCarthy said. “It really is about focusing on your own team. The only thing that matters is we need to go in there and play our style of football. Every game is very difficult to win in this league, regardless of the health of any team.”
Packers-Cowboys Thursday Injury Report
Packers
DNP: LB Krys Barnes (concussion), LB De’Vondre Campbell (knee), TE Marcedes Lewis (rest), WR Romeo Doubs (ankle), CB Eric Stokes (ankle/knee).
Limited: LT David Bakhtiari (knee), K Mason Crosby (back), CB Rasul Douglas (calf), CB Shemar Jean-Charles (ankle), LG Elgton Jenkins (knee), RB Aaron Jones (ankle), WR Allen Lazard (shoulder), QB Aaron Rodgers (thumb), RG Jon Runyan (knee) OLB Preston Smith (neck), WR Sammy Watkins (knee).
Cowboys
DNP: LB Anthony Barr (hamstring), TE Jake Ferguson (illness).
Limited: WR Noah Brown (foot), RB Ezekiel Elliott (knee), S Donovan Wilson (tooth).
Full: DE Dorance Armstrong (shoulder), WR Michael Gallup (chest), S Malik Hooker (hamstring), LB Micah Parsons (shoulder), TE Dalton Schultz (knee), WR KaVontae Turpin (chest), DE Sam Williams (knee).
