GREEN BAY, Wis. -- Mike McCarthy wasn’t naming names. But given how careful the Green Bay Packers have been with wide receiver Jordy Nelson's comeback this offseason, it was hard to imagine the Packers head coach was talking about anyone else.
With his team wrapping up its offseason program Thursday with its final minicamp practice, McCarthy was asked whether any of the players who sat out organized team activities or the minicamp with injuries might be in danger of not being ready for the first practice of training camp, which is slated for July 26.
McCarthy, whose personal offseason policy is to not divulge injury information, paused.
“Maybe one that I can think of,” McCarthy replied. “I’ll be disappointed if everybody’s not ready to go, but we’ll see in five weeks.”
Asked directly if that one was Nelson, who tore the anterior cruciate ligament in his right knee during an Aug. 23 preseason game at Pittsburgh and missed the entire 2015 season, McCarthy smirked.
“[No] injury report, right?” he replied.
While there were several other starters and key contributors who missed all of the OTAs and minicamp sessions -- inside linebacker Sam Barrington (foot), right guard T.J. Lang (shoulder) and center Corey Linsley (undisclosed), as well as wide receiver Ty Montgomery (ankle) – the Packers’ ultra-cautious approach with Nelson would lead one to believe that he’s the player McCarthy was referring to. Barrington, Lang, Linsley and Montgomery have all said this offseason that they either hope to or expect to be ready for the start of camp.
Nelson, meanwhile, expressed some frustration last week with not being able to practice yet. Before he and 14 other veterans were excused from the minicamp by McCarthy following Monday’s physicals, Nelson had been limited to rehab work and pitch-and-catch sessions with quarterback Aaron Rodgers on the side.
Nelson said earlier this offseason that he’d tried to convince the team to let him practice at OTAs and minicamp, to no avail, and fellow wide receiver Randall Cobb had contemplated starting a #FREEJORDY campaign on social media.
“Everyone’s scared of it, but I’m not," said Nelson, who took part in his annual charity softball game last weekend. “You can’t run from it. You have to get out there sometime.
“There’s nothing physically that’s holding me back. I’m not trying to push it and be ridiculous about anything, but I want to be at a certain spot when I leave here that come training camp, I’m ready to go and don’t have to work my way into it.”
“I don’t think you can be scared of it. I wasn’t scared of it before it happened. I won’t be scared of it to happen again,” Nelson added. “The way it happened in Pittsburgh, you can’t prevent that. You can’t run from it. Eventually, you have to practice. Eventually, you have to play in a game. And I’m going to play in the preseason, so I need it."