Packers Practice Update: Latest News on Quarterbacks as Vikings Week Begins

GREEN BAY, Wis. – The Green Bay Packers have four quarterbacks on their team, but only three threw passes at the start of Wednesday’s practice.

At the start of the first practice of the week as the Packers get ready for Week 18 at the Minnesota Vikings, Jordan Love, Clayton Tune and just-signed Desmond Ridder threw passes during a ball-security drill and a quarterbacks-running backs period.

Malik Willis did not.

Before practice, coach Matt LaFleur said Love remained in the concussion protocol with the head injury sustained during the first half of the loss at Chicago in Week 16. He was limited participation during the final two practices of last week but was inactive for the loss to the Baltimore Ravens.

Officially, while he didn’t throw while reporters were present, Willis will be limited participation, LaFleur said.

Only three players did not practice: receiver Dontayvion Wicks (concussion), cornerback Nate Hobbs (knee) and safety Zayne Anderson (ankle).

Right tackle Zach Tom, who suffered a knee injury at Denver and missed the last two games, returned to practice.

Linebacker Nick Niemann, who suffered a torn pectoral in Week 8 at Pittsburgh, has been designated for return from injured reserve. He ranks among the team leaders with 11 tackles on special teams.

Love was inactive for the loss against Baltimore in Week 17. In his place, Willis put on a show until the shoulder injury sustained at the end of regulation against the Bears flared up on him late against the Ravens. Tune finished the game.

So, where are the Packers at in terms of the most important position in the sport entering the meaningless final game of the regular season?

“Quarterback-wise, well, we’ve got four guys on a roster. That’s where we’re at,” LaFleur said.

Love is the tip of the spear in what will be a series of personnel decisions revolving around playing time for Sunday’s game. The Packers are locked into the No. 7 seed, so not everybody will play.

However, this isn’t the 90-man roster of training camp, when there were ample numbers to keep all of the team’s top players wrapped safely in bubble wrap. Instead, it’s a 53-man roster and only two players can be elevated from the practice squad, so some starters are going to have to play.

Asked specifically about Love, LaFleur drove home that point.

“Let’s just get through the week and see where we’re at,” he said. “Here’s what I told the team, we have 53 spots on our roster. You can have two call-ups. You have 48 dressed on gameday. So, there’s going to be some starters that aren’t going to play. There’s, shoot, they may not suit up, they might suit up. And then you’re going to have some starters that are going to play. So, basically, you guys will find out on Sunday who’s playing.”

In the case of Love, the situation takes on added complexity because he missed the second half at Chicago and all of the game against Baltimore. If Love is held out of the Minnesota game or doesn’t clear the concussion protocol, he would have a two-and-a-half-game layoff before facing the Bears or Eagles in the playoffs.

“Yeah, I wouldn’t say it’s ideal, but it’s the circumstance,” LaFleur said. “So, we’ve got to find a way to make the best of that circumstance, but it just is what it is. There’s some things that are out of your control. We would have loved to have had him play vs. Baltimore, and that wasn’t the case. I mean, shoot, we planned for it for the majority of the week in regards to how we allocated the reps. And he didn’t clear [the protocol].”

The uncertainty about Love and Willis necessitated the signing of Ridder, who joined Tune on the practice squad. He has almost 20 starts under his belt and has played in similar offenses.

“He seems like a smart guy, and we’ll see how fast he can pick it up,” LaFleur said.

Meanwhile, coming off a game in which their run defense was crushed by the Ravens, Green Bay’s cornerback corps is a mess.

Hobbs suffered a knee injury when he collided with a Ravens player while breaking up a pass in the end zone. Hobbs as well as Anderson probably are headed to injured reserve.

Late in the first half, Kamal Hadden replaced Carrington Valentine with the No. 1 defense. On his sixth snap, he suffered a serious ankle injury and was carted to the locker room. The Packers placed him on injured reserve on Tuesday.

So, behind Keisean Nixon and Valentine, the Packers are down to receiver-turned-cornerback-turned-receiver Bo Melton as well as Jaylin Simpson and Shemar Bartholomew, both of whom were promoted from the practice squad on Tuesday.

“A lot of their action was on the look team, so I love how they go out there and compete,” LaFleur said of Simpson and Bartholomew. “Sometimes you’re asking guys to do things that aren’t within the framework of your scheme and you’ve just got to make the best of it, but I thought both those guys [have done well].

“The one thing I know about them is they’re workers. They’re competitors and they’re not going to shy away from it. So, we’ll get a good long look at these guys throughout the course of the week and have a better indication going into Sunday.”

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