The Green Bay Packers returned second-year running back Kylin Hill to the practice field on Wednesday, marking his first step toward coming off the reserve/PUP list and activation to the 53-man roster.
Hill, who tore his ACL while returning a kickoff in Week 8 of last year, was placed on the PUP list to start training camp and later moved to the reserve/ PUP list during camp, meaning he had to miss at least the first four games of the 2022 season.
It’s been almost one year since Hill suffered the season-ending injury in Arizona.
A 21-day window now opens for Hill to practice with the team and the Packers to activate him to the roster. He can be activated immediately if the team wishes. A corresponding roster move would need to be made.
The Packers took Hill with the 256th overall pick in the 2021 draft. As a rookie, Hill rushed 10 times for 24 yards, caught one pass for five yards and returned 10 kickoffs for 199 yards (19.9 average, 41 long) over eight games.
The Packers have Patrick Taylor on the 53-man roster behind Aaron Jones and A.J. Dillon, and it’s unclear if general manager Brian Gutekunst would keep Taylor on as another backup once Hill is activated.
While likely not in line for a big role on offense, Hill does bring kickoff return experience to the table. Rookie Christian Watson replaced Amari Rodgers in the role in Week 5, but Watson is now dealing with a hamstring injury.
