GREEN BAY, Wis. – With one pick in the first round, two picks in the second round and two more picks in the third round of the 2024 NFL Draft, the Green Bay Packers had a chance to provide some sudden impact to a playoff roster.
However, injuries have sidelined first-round pick Jordan Morgan, second-round pick Edgerrin Cooper and third-round picks MarShawn Lloyd and Ty’Ron Hopper for big chunks of training camp.
Do they need to play in the preseason finale against the Baltimore Ravens on Saturday to help LaFleur get a feel for if they can contribute in the regular-season opener against the Philadelphia Eagles on Sept. 6?
“Yeah, certainly they’re young players who haven’t played, so you’d love to see them get in there and get some action in,” LaFleur replied before Tuesday’s practice. “You can never get enough reps as a young player. We’ll see if they’re ready to go. If they can, then you’ll see them out there.”
Here are some pre-practice injury updates.
OL Jordan Morgan
The first-round pick, who missed the Cleveland game with a shoulder injury, returned to participate in individual drills last week but also didn’t play against Denver.
Before the injury, Morgan had taken the lead in the competition at right guard. Now, he’s at best in a dead-heat with Sean Rhyan.
Morgan will be limited to individual drills again on Tuesday but could progress into 11-on-11 reps for the joint practice against the Ravens on Thursday.
LB Edgerrin Cooper
The second-round pick suffered a hip injury before Family Night and has not returned to take part in any drills. About all he’s done is stand about 40 yards behind the defense to get as much of a linebacker’s-eye view of his job responsibilities as possible.
That will change on Tuesday as Cooper returns to individual drills.
Even while healthy, Cooper had made no headway in his battle against Eric Wilson to be a starter in the base defense.
RB MarShawn Lloyd
Lloyd, who missed the first week of training camp with a hip injury, got two touches in the preseason opener against Cleveland before suffering a hamstring injury. He did not play at Denver and will not practice on Tuesday.
The Packers were hoping to use his explosiveness and big-play ability as a change-of-pace threat alongside Josh Jacobs and AJ Dillon.
CB Carrington Valentine
After missing a couple weeks with a hamstring injury, Valentine returned to take part in individual drills last week. The Packers will welcome back his skill and swagger, but he’s probably missed too much time to mount a late challenge to Eric Stokes.
“No matter what, when I get back on the grass, whenever that will be, it’s always going to be competitive,” Valentine said last week. “The competitive aspect doesn’t just leave just because you get hurt. Even in the film room it’s still competitive. It’s just a competitive culture that we have around here. So, it just never left.”
LB Ty’Ron Hopper
After missing the preseason opener at Cleveland, Hopper went from being limited to only positional drills during the practices in Green Bay on Tuesday and Wednesday to starting, playing 51 snaps and recording a team-high 11 tackles at middle linebacker at Denver.
“There were some moments where he showed some physicality and there were some moments that he showed he hadn’t played football in a while, so I think there was a lot of good plays and then there was ones that we’ve got to learn from and get better,” LaFleur said.
“Getting those game reps is so invaluable, just like we talked about with all those young players, so it was good. He hasn’t played a lot of football. He’s been out, so I’m hoping to see another jump this week.”
S Kitan Oladapo
A fifth-round pick, Oladapo missed the entire offseason and the start of camp due to a broken toe sustained at the Scouting Combine. He played nine snaps on special teams against Cleveland and recorded four tackles in his defense debut on Sunday.
“There was a lot of good moments for him,” LaFleur said. “The more he gets to play, the better he’ll do (and) the faster he’ll play. I thought he showed up and showed good physicality, good range. I think he’s still trying to get his legs underneath him.
“But I’m excited about the player. I think he showed consistent growth every time we go out and practice, both on defense and on teams.”