GREEN BAY, Wis. — There aren’t any major surprises on the Green Bay Packers’ inaugural list of inactives. They’ll carry a mostly healthy roster into Minnesota for their first divisional tilt of the regular season against the Vikings.
Ty’Ron Hopper, who missed practice for the majority of the week, is dealing with an Achilles injury. He was able to work in a limited capacity on Friday, however, indicating that he’s trending in a positive direction for a return in the near future.
The Packers elevated linebacker Kristian Welch for depth at the position, but he’ll likely take Hopper’s place on Cam Achord’s special teams unit.
Wideout Bo Melton, who was released on Friday and promptly re-signed to the practice squad shortly thereafter, was the Packers’ other elevation.
Warren Brinson is also inactive. The defensive tackle was the only player ruled out by the team on Friday as he battles a calf injury. He missed the Packers’ Aug. 28 preseason finale against the Arizona Cardinals and all three days of practice this past week.
Of Aaron Banks and Zach Bako-Bewele, only the latter will play. They were both questionable with their respective knee injuries—Banks with knee tendinitis and Bako-Bewele working his way back from the partially torn patellar tendon he sustained last season. Banks was a limited practice participant throughout the week, but while managing an unpredictable ailment like knee tendinitis, it’s unclear when Banks’ good and bad days will be.
It’s also unknown at the moment who the Packers will start in Banks’ place at left guard. Donovan Jennings is currently listed as the backup, but rookie fifth-round pick Jager Burton has spent the majority of the summer repping at the position. Burton has also cross-trained at center and right guard. Another option is former second-round pick Anthony Belton, who was the contingency plan at right tackle if Bako-Bewele couldn’t play. Belton spent the majority of his time on the field last season at right guard, but he has just two snaps at left guard.
“We’ll see,” said head coach Matt LaFleur of Banks and Bako-Bewele’s statuses for this week. “We’ll get them through [Friday] and see where they’re at, but it’s good to have them back out there.”
Bako-Bewele hasn’t minced words about his status for the Sept. 13 opener all summer.
“It’s not an option; I’m playing Week 1,” he said after the first practice of training camp on July 29.
Against Vikings defensive coordinator Brian Flores and his maniacal blitz packages, having a healthy offensive line—or as close to it as possible—was imperative for the Packers. Even Jordan Morgan, their starting left tackle, was a question mark this week. A knee injury also hinders Morgan, but he logged full practice sessions in back-to-back days to end the week, so he was able to avoid a status designation.
The Packers will also have a full complement of defensive tackles at their disposal. Both Javon Hargrave and Devonte Wyatt were on the injury report, but like Morgan, didn’t receive a status designation.
“He’s done a great job,” LaFleur said of Hargrave, a free-agent acquisition for the Packers in March. “There’s something we kind of knew we were getting with that type of player, whether it’s from his past experience going back to Philly and San Francisco, and then watching him progress since he’s been here.
“Since he’s been back out on the practice field, you’re really starting to see who he is.”
Here’s the full list of scratches for Week 1 in Minnesota.
LB Ty’Ron Hopper (Achilles)
G Aaron Banks (Knee)
T Travis Glover (Healthy)
WR J. Michael Sturdivant (Healthy)
DT Warren Brinson (Calf)
DT Anthony Campbell (Healthy)
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.