Rookie Christian Watson and returner Keisean Nixon will not practice Wednesday, according to Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur. Watson suffered a hip injury in Sunday’s win over the Miami Dolphins, while Nixon suffered a groin injury.
Watson did not play in the second half, and Nixon never returned after exiting during the second quarter. Yosh Nijman also left in the first half with a shoulder injury, but LaFleur told reporters he did not know if Nijman would be at practice.
On Monday, LaFleur said all three players were considered day-to-day.
However, LaFleur did confirm that David Bakhtiari would practice in a limited capacity. This will be Bakhtiari’s first practice since having an appendectomy on Friday, December 2.
The Packers hope to be at full strength when they face the Minnesota Vikings in a must-win game on Sunday at Lambeau Field. Aaron Rodgers was optimistic about the status of both Bakhtiari and Nixon during his weekly appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show.”
Rodgers said he was confident about Bakhtiari’s availability for practice this week and was hopeful he would be “trending toward playing.” Meanwhile, when discussing Nixon, Rodgers believed he would try to play this week.
On Tuesday, the Packers did sign wide receiver Bo Melton, who is a speedy wide receiver with kick return experience in college. He could be an insurance piece if Nixon is unable to play, but it is unlikely he could fill in for Watson due to his unfamiliarity with the offense.
As far as both tackle spots, Zach Tom has done just fine filling in for Bakhtiari, whose availability is always unpredictable. Royce Newman also did well stepping in for Nijman after getting benched earlier in the season. Depending on who is healthy, Green Bay may have to do some lineup altering to figure out which five offensive linemen will give them the best chance against a talented Minnesota defensive line.
The Packers will release the first injury report of the week later on Wednesday, with final injury designations coming on Friday.
