GREEN BAY, Wis. — The four-day turnaround and a new toe injury made Aaron Banks a long shot to play in the Green Bay Packers’ home opener Thursday night.
The team’s starting left guard played in the first half of last weekend’s win over the New York Jets, but was replaced by Donovan Jennings after dropping out with the injury. Jennings would soon follow suit, exiting the game with a hand injury and being replaced by rookie Jager Burton, who could potentially fill in at left guard against the Atlanta Falcons this week.
“We’ll see how it plays out this week,” said offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich. “If Banks can go, great. If not, we’ll get those other guys in.”
Head coach Matt LaFleur said that the Packers would give Banks up until 90 minutes before kickoff before declaring whether or not he’d be able to play. It turns out Banks won’t receive such a gracious deadline.
Banks will now miss his second game in the first 11 days of the regular season after spending all summer managing tendinitis in his knee. Jennings started the Sept. 13 opener against the Minnesota Vikings and was first in the pecking order to replace Banks in New York, but he has been far from a serviceable option.
Burton, a fifth-round pick, played well enough on Sunday that the Packers have to consider giving him the reins full-time.
“For me, I just want whoever’s in there—just make it hard for us to make a decision,” Stenavich said. “Go out there, compete, be productive, be clean, eliminate penalties, and just make it really hard on us to take you off the field if you’re one of those depth guys.”
Defensive tackle Warren Brinson will also miss his third consecutive game to begin the season. The former sixth-round pick has been nagged by a calf injury that he sustained before the Packers’ Aug. 21 preseason game versus the Denver Broncos.
Right tackle Zach Bako-Bewele and wideout Jayden Reed were also ruled out, but that comes as no surprise. Bako-Bewele suffered a complete tear of his right patellar tendon on the third play from scrimmage at MetLife Stadium. He was playing in just his second game in his return from initially sustaining a partial tear of the tendon in December. The Packers have yet to place him on season-ending injured reserve, but that move is imminent and will sideline the 27-year-old for eight to 10 months.
The Packers intend to start Anthony Belton at right tackle, both for Thursday night and for the remainder of the season. There was brief concern with Belton, who suffered an elbow injury against the Jets. However, he was removed from the injury report entirely and didn’t receive a status designation.
Reed, meanwhile, was dealt a neck injury after a hit from Jets linebacker Demario Davis. He was placed onto a backboard and transported from the stadium to a nearby hospital, where he’d remain overnight. Reed is back in Green Bay, but his diagnosis and recovery timeline remain unclear.
“It’s way too early for that right now,” said LaFleur. “He’s just got a lot—there’s a lot going on.”
Defensive tackles Javon Hargrave and Anthony Campbell are the only two players questionable to play Thursday night. Hargrave is listed with the same knee injury that has plagued him for the last month, but the uncertainty stems from him spending the last nine days in concussion protocol. Campbell is navigating an ankle injury after playing nine defensive snaps against the Jets. It was the first time in Campbell’s professional career that he was active for a regular-season game.
Here’s the Packers’ final injury report for Week 3.
Questionable
DT Javon Hargrave (Knee/Concussion)
DT Anthony Campbell (Ankle)
Out
OG Aaron Banks (Toe/Knee)
DT Warren Brinson (Calf)
OT Zach Bako-Bewele (Knee)
WR Jayden Reed (Neck)
No Designation
OT Anthony Belton (Elbow)
CB Brandon Cisse (Teeth)
LB Edgerrin Cooper (Shoulder)
OG Donovan Jennings (Hand)
WR Bo Melton (Neck)
CB Benjamin St-Juste (Hamstring)
Zachary Jacobson is the author of The Packer Dispatch. He is entering his 12th season covering the Green Bay Packers after spending seven as the Editor-in-Chief of Packer Report. He is a member of the Pro Football Writers of America. Follow him on Twitter @zachjacobson or contact him via email at itszachariahj@gmail.com.