Packers Injury Update: Elgton Jenkins won’t go on IR

Jenkins left Week 2 against the Atlanta Falcons with an MCL sprain.

Following practice on Wednesday, Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur announced that running back Aaron Jones (hamstring), left tackle David Bakhtiari (knee) and left guard Elgton Jenkins (knee) did not practice on the day while receiver Christian Watson (hamstring) and outside linebacker Lukas Van Ness (elbow) were limited. The fact that Jenkins, who left action in Week 2 against the Atlanta Falcons, wasn’t put on the injured reserve for his now-confirmed MCL sprain is a positive sign. When asked about Jenkins’ injury and the fact that Jenkins wasn’t placed on IR, LaFleur confirmed that he believes that the guard’s injury is going to be a week-to-week one — rather than one that takes up a significant portion of Jenkins’ season.

Still, though, it’s highly unlikely that Jenkins will suit up against the New Orleans Saints this weekend. In all likelihood, Jenkins’ injury replacement will be Royce Newman — who stepped up in Jenkins’ place when he left the game in Atlanta on Sunday. LaFleur did leave open the door for Zach Tom to move to guard when asked about the topic. If Tom moved to guard from right tackle, Rasheed Walker would come off the bench as the next bookend up. Depending on if Bakhtiari is healthy enough to play in the home opener, that could also push Yosh Nijman into the starting lineup as a tackle, too.

According to LaFleur, Watson did “some individual” drills today and the team is going to monitor how his hamstring responds to the workload. Jones was seen warming up in the indoor facility before practice, but did not make it out to the field in pre-practice — which is open to the media. LaFleur said that Jones is “coming along well,” which leaves the door open to Watson and/or Jones being active against the Saints on Sunday.

One player who won’t be dressed for the game is New Orleans safety Marcus Maye, who was just suspended by the league for a substance abuse violation. It also appears that former Packer Jamaal Williams, now a Saints running back, will also miss the game with a hamstring injury of his own.