GREEN BAY, Wis. — With the Chicago Bears coming to town on Sunday, the Green Bay Packers ruled out two players, and neither is a surprise.
Running back Chris Brooks and wide receiver Savion Williams both won’t play in the rivalry game at Lambeau Field. Brooks is nursing an ankle injury that forced him to exit last week’s win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers, and he hasn’t practiced in any capacity all week. The Packers promoted Pierre Strong Jr. from the practice squad on Thursday in an effort to stabilize their backfield—that was the first indication that Brooks was likely to miss this week.
Williams, however, is still working his way back from his own ankle injury. The former third-round pick opened the season on injured reserve, but practiced for the first time on Wednesday. The Packers have until Oct. 28—a 21-day window—to activate him to the 53-man roster, or he’ll revert to injured reserve for the remainder of the season.
Defensive tackles Javon Hargrave and Anthony Campbell and offensive guard Jager Burton are the Packers’ three questionable players. Burton, who started at left guard in the Packers’ Sept. 24 loss to the Atlanta Falcons, is dealing with back spasms that could impact his availability. Campbell, meanwhile, has missed two consecutive games with an ankle injury after playing the first snaps of his professional career Sept. 20 against the New York Jets.
Hargrave was a late addition to the Packers’ injury report on Friday. He’s hindered by a toe injury—the latest ailment in what has otherwise been an injury-plagued first season in Green Bay. He’s only missed one game, but Hargrave has now dealt with a knee injury, a toe injury, and a concussion.
Guards Aaron Banks and Jacob Monk are both doubtful to play against the Bears. Banks, who hasn’t practiced since Sept. 18, is also battling a toe injury that is compounded by the knee tendinitis that has followed him since the start of training camp. If he can’t go Sunday, he’ll miss his third consecutive game. The Packers signed 34-year-old veteran Laken Tomlinson to fill the void at left guard, but his debut last week was encouraging enough that he could potentially hold the job for the remainder of the season, considering Banks’ erratic health.
Monk was able to practice in a limited capacity on Friday as he fights through a quadriceps injury. He started the Packers’ first three games at right guard, but his injury forced them to explore other options. They started Travis Glover in his place against the Buccaneers, but similarly to left guard, the Packers outsourced to improve the position. They signed 36-year-old Kevin Zeitler last week, and the expectation is that he’ll be making his debut this weekend against the Bears.
Here’s the Packers’ final injury report for Week 5.
Out
WR Savion Williams (Ankle)
RB Chris Brooks (Ankle)
Doubtful
OG Aaron Banks (Toe/Knee)
OG Jacob Monk (Quadriceps)
Questionable
OG Jager Burton (Back)
DT Anthony Campbell (Ankle)
DT Javon Hargrave (Toe)
No Designation
OT Anthony Belton (Knee)
CB Brandon Cisse (Neck)
EDGE Lukas Van Ness (Shoulder)
DT Devonte Wyatt (Ankle)
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.