The Green Bay Packers received some unpleasant news on the injury front Monday morning following the team’s 20-17 loss to the Detroit Lions in Week 7. Two starters, one in the middle each of the offense and defense, are likely to miss more time with injuries, although neither is expected to end the season.
First up is linebacker Zaire Franklin, who was ruled out of Sunday’s game after injuring his leg during practice during the week. Ian Rapoport of NFL Network reports that Franklin has a broken leg, which is why he was unable to play in Week 7. The injury will likely keep him out of the Packers’ Week 8 game against the Panthers on Thursday night. Football, but the team shouldn’t put him on injured reserve.
On the other side of the football, it seems likely that starting center Sean Rhyan will be heading to the IR. Rapoport is also dealing with Rhyan’s injury, and it is believed to be a high ankle sprain. Rhyan is fortunate to have avoided any fractures, but he could still need more than a month to recover, which could equate to a stint on injured reserve.
Green Bay also lost backup center Jacob Monk to injury just a few plays after Rhyan left the game, meaning John Williams had to enter the game as an emergency option. He’s played admirably for the most part and could be in line to start Thursday against Carolina if Monk is also unavailable for a short week.
The decision not to shut down Franklin suggests the Packers expect him to return to the field before the end of November. If they had put him on IR, he would have to sit for the next four games before being eligible to return to the active roster. If any of these injured players were to actually go on injured reserve, they would not be eligible to return until the game against the New Orleans Saints in Week 13, due to the Packers’ bye in Week 11.
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