The Green Bay Packers might not be the perfect picture of health entering the 2025 season, and the injury list looks long, but it’d be difficult to complain with the injury situation ahead of Week 1.
Not only did the Packers not lose a player to a significant, season-altering injury during training camp, but all 53 players on the active roster practiced in some capacity on Thursday and Friday this week, and no player was immediately ruled out or listed as doubtful entering Sunday’s season opener against the Detroit Lions. All seven on the final injury report Friday are listed as questionable, and a few look more probable than truly questionable to play.
Of course, the Packers won’t have Christian Watson, who is on the PUP list to start the year, but his absence was expected. And MarShawn Lloyd is on injured reserve, but he played in only one game as a rookie.
Compared to the Lions, the Packers have to be feeling OK. Dan Campbell’s team already lost cornerback Ennis Rakestraw for the season, and Alim McNeil, Malcolm Rodriguez and Levi Onwuzurike are all on the PUP list. Josh Paschal is on the non-football injury list. These are meaningful injuries for a team entering Week 1. And look around the NFL: plenty of big names are out with injuries entering the first weekend of the regular season.
The Packers aren’t without injury worry, however.
Quarterback Jordan Love needed surgery on his left thumb, is still wearing a protective brace and may be limited in terms of handing off with his left hand. Receiver Jayden Reed has a foot injury that appears primed to linger for weeks and maybe more — a potentially big deal for a player who must cut and drive off his foot on every route run. Cornerback Nate Hobbs needed knee surgery in early August, hardly practiced during training camp and only just returned to practice on Thursday, so he is a big question mark with games upcoming against Jared Goff and Jayden Daniels over the next week. Receiver Dontayvion Wicks has been participating in a limited capacity recently, but he missed weeks of practice with a calf injury, a potentially limiting issue for a player who relies on explosive movements as a route runner. Rookies Savion Williams (hamstring), Barryn Sorrell (knee), Collin Oliver (hamstring, PUP) and John Williams (back, PUP) have all dealt with injuries this summer and will likely be something close to non-factors to start the regular season.
It’s not perfect, but it never is in football. The injury rate is 100 percent at the NFL level. Guys get hurt. Other players have to step up.
The Packers may need a player like Carrington Valentine or Javon Bullard to help cover for Hobbs until he’s ready, or may need Matthew Golden and Romeo Doubs to do the heavy lifting at receiver until Watson, Reed and Wicks are full-go. These are manageable problems.
The Packers injury list looks long entering Week 1 — seven players with status designations. But consider this: only two players weren’t able to participate during a practice this week — Reed and Hobbs on Wednesday. Both players were back for Thursday and Friday.
Reed’s foot is concerning. Hobbs still has to prove he’s ready to return for Sunday after missing most of camp. And Parsons is ramping up after not practicing all summer and may not be a full-time player right away. But the Packers are in as good of shape as one could ask for on the injury front coming out of training camp and the preseason and entering the regular season. Enjoy it while it lasts. Because it never does — for the Packers or any other NFL team.
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: Injury list looks long, but Packers in good shape entering Week 1 of 2025
Reporting by Zach Kruse, Packers Wire / Packers Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
