Packers-Browns Monday Injury Report: Three Starters Didn’t Practice

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers returned from their long weekend with four players on the sideline for Monday’s practice.

Receiver Jayden Reed, of course, was one of them. He’s out following a broken collarbone sustained on the opening drive of Thursday’s 27-18 victory over the Washington Commanders, with surgery “likely” for Tuesday.

Also out were cornerback Bo Melton (shoulder), left guard Aaron Banks (ankle/groin) and Zach Tom (oblique). Those three players, all inactive on Thursday, were doing rehab work in the Don Hutson Center or on the practice field.

Coach Matt LaFleur gave updates on Tom and Banks after practice on Monday.

Tom was injured during the second half of the Week 1 victory over Detroit. Could he play this week, with a huge matchup looming against Browns star Myles Garrett?

“Yeah, potentially. We’ll see where he’s at. Just talking to him, I know he feels a lot better than he did. We’ll just see how he progresses throughout the course of the week.”

Banks, who missed the end of the Detroit game, is “doing better,” LaFleur said.

“Whether or not he's ready for Sunday remains to be seen,” LaFleur continued. “We'll give them throughout the course of the week.”

The Packers got by without two-fifths or their starting offensive line against the Commanders, with the Packers scoring 27 points and gaining more than 400 yards, anyway.

Doing so against the Browns would be a much bigger challenge. With two games to be played on Monday, Cleveland almost certainly will enter Sunday’s game ranked No. 1 in total defense with 191.5 yards allowed per game, No. 1 in rushing defense with 45.5 yards allowed per game and No. 3 in passing defense with 146.0 yards allowed per game.

Garrett has 3.5 sacks. He has 10 pressures, tied with Green Bay’s Micah Parsons for sixth among edge defenders, according to PFF. Fellow defensive end Isaiah McGuire has nine pressures.

Cleveland lost 17-16 at home against high-powered Cincinnati in Week 1. On Sunday, the Browns gave up 41 points against Baltimore, that wasn’t the defense’s fault. Star running back Derrick Henry carried 11 times for only 23 yards as the Ravens’ prolific rushing attack gained just 45.

“Obviously, got beat and very disappointed in that result,” Browns coach Kevin Stefanski said after the game. “We gave them 21 points via a blocked punt, a fumble recovery and an interception. It’s hard to win. It’s hard to win, period, but it’s hard to win when you do that.”

Green Bay has struggled to run the football through two games and will face another major challenge against Garrett and rookie Mason Graham.

“I thought the run defense was really strong throughout,” Stefanski said. “That is just from effort. The schemes are the schemes, but I thought the guys played with great effort in the run defense.”

The Browns trailed 10-3 at halftime but Jackson threw for 148 yards in the second half as the game turned into a rout.

“We got to be better on defense,” Garrett said after the game. “We got to be better as a team. They slowly chipped away. We did a solid job holding them to three when we could, and eventually the dam broke, and they just did whatever they wanted. We have to continue to play a 60-minute game.”

For the Browns, linebacker Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah is the top player on either PUP or injured reserve. Right tackle Jack Conklin (elbow) was inactive against Baltimore.

For Green Bay, cornerback Nate Hobbs, who started after missing Week 1 with a knee injury, was back at practice. Quarterback Jordan Love continued to practice with a wrap on his left thumb.

The loss of Reed will be an important one for the Packers to overcome. He not only led the team in receptions and receiving yards in each of his first two seasons, but he was among the NFL’s best receivers both in yards after the catch but in deep-game success last season.

“He’s kind of a sparkplug for us,” LaFleur said. “He does a lot of different things. I just love the way he plays the game, the energy he brings on a daily basis. He’s tough. He’s gritty. We’re definitely going to miss him. But other guys, there’s going to be opportunities for some of these guys to step up and make some plays.”

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