Four Key Packers Return to Practice and New Development at Kicker

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers limped off the field after losing to the Carolina Panthers on Sunday, but most of those players were back on the practice field on Thursday.

With the Packers getting set to face the Philadelphia Eagles on Monday night at Lambeau Field, four key players returned to action, including three who were unable to finish the Carolina game.

Left guard Aaron Banks, who dropped out after the opening series with a stinger, receiver Matthew Golden, who suffered a shoulder injury, and defensive tackle Colby Wooden, a key run defender whose absence due to a shoulder injury was felt when the Panthers ran for about 160 yards, all went through drills while reporters were present.

Plus, a key player in the passing game could return to the lineup. Dontayvion Wicks, who missed the last two games with a calf injury, practiced on Thursday. Coach Matt LaFleur said he’d be limited participation.

Three players did not practice: cornerback Nate Hobbs (knee), defensive end Lukas Van Ness (foot) and receiver Savion Williams (unknown). Hobbs is expected to miss a couple games due to a knee injury. Van Ness has missed the last three games; his absence on Thursday would suggest he might miss this game, too.

Plus, there was a noteworthy development at kicker. More on that in a moment.

The Packers scored only 13 points in the loss to Carolina and quarterback Jordan Love was held without a scoring pass for the first time this season. Help could be on the way, though.

Wicks is fifth on the team with 13 receptions for 134 yards this season and caught two passes for 39 yards in last year’s playoff loss in Philadelphia.

Wicks, obviously, isn’t a tight end, but his return would give the Packers another way to offset the loss of premier tight end Tucker Kraft following last week’s torn ACL.

“Everybody has to pull a little bit more and do a little bit more, I would say,” LaFleur said. “It’s just not going to go on one position group. We need it from everybody, from the guys up front to our runners, receivers and our quarterbacks. So, it’ll have to be a collective effort.”

More from everybody would mean more from Golden, who like Wicks was expected to be limited participation at practice. The first-round pick caught 12 passes for 196 yards during a three-game stretch against Cleveland, Dallas and Cincinnati, with a catch of 34-plus yards in all three games.

After extending the productive streak with four catches for 37 yards at Arizona, the return of Christian Watson corresponded with Golden catching five passes for 13 yards with a long of 6 the last two games.

“He shows up with a great attitude, great mindset,” LaFleur said. “I know that he wants to make some plays so bad, and it’s unfortunate just this last game having to go out. I think it’s a matter of time, I really do.”

At kicker, both Brandon McManus and Lucas Havrisik remain on the roster. McManus missed two games with a quad injury, with Havrisik making all 10 kicks during that span. McManus has kicked the last two games and missed three field goals.

McManus and Havrisik, who wasn’t traded at Tuesday’s deadline, were scheduled to kick on Wednesday, which is a change.

For the first time, LaFleur left open the possibility that Havrisik could win the job.

“I think every time it’s a competitive situation,” LaFleur said. “So, we’re going to have both the guys kick today, and we’ll kind of see where Brandon’s at in terms of his health and whatnot, and go with who we feel like gives us the best opportunity to go out there and compete and win.”

McManus, who last season set a team record and finished second in the NFL for field-goal percentage but missed in the playoff loss at Philadelphia, “absolutely” has the confidence of LaFleur

Why?

“Because I see it every day,” he replied.

Meanwhile, running back MarShawn Lloyd remains on injured reserve following a hamstring injury sustained in the preseason. A third-round pick last year, he’s played in only one game in his career. At this point, the team hopes he can contribute but there is no expectation.

“We actually sent him out west to another group to try to get his body right,” LaFleur said. “It sounds like the results are promising, but we’ll see.

The Eagles acquired pass rusher Jaelan Phillips, former Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander and cornerback Michael Carter II before the trade deadline. The Eagles’ pass rush is one of the worst in the league, so Phillips will have a chance to make an impact immediately.

“An explosive player, able to get to the quarterback, violent in the run game, can create a lot of disruption,” Eagles coach Nick Sirianni said on Thursday. “Just a lot of how we like to play at that position, and Vic [Fangio, the Eagles’ defensive coordinator] having familiarity with him is obviously big. It takes away some of that learning curve of getting ready to go.”

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