GREEN BAY, Wis. (WBAY) - While it remains to be seen how long any Packers starters may see the field in Saturday’s preseason opener, we now know one of their best players won’t be out there at all.
Safety Xavier McKinney missed Thursday’s practice with a calf injury, and he revealed afterwards he will miss the matchup vs. the Jets. McKinney, who earned first-team All-Pro honors in 2024, questioned if he would be able to return for any of the three preseason games or remaining training camp practices.
“Glad that we caught it when we caught it,” McKinney said regarding the injury. “Just kind of trying to take it slow, then the build up obviously, but I’ll be ready when it’s time to go for sure. It was just something lingering a little bit over time. That’s really all it really was. We’ll see what happens. I’m going off of what their plan is.”
Asked what he was referring to when he said “time to go”, McKinney clarified that he was talking about Green Bay’s Week 1 matchup with the Detroit Lions.
While McKinney was not on the field on Thursday, his presence at practice allowed him to continue to be the leader he became since arriving in Green Bay. He’s mentioned numerous times throughout training camp that his ultimate desire is to see his teammates around him improve, and that doesn’t change even while dealing with an injury.
“When we go in there in the film room, we’re critiquing ourselves pretty hard,” McKinney said. “I think it’s a collective effort, and we all have that mindset. We push each other to elevate to the highest level. That’s the best part about it.”
Elgton Jenkins also did not practice on Thursday due to a back injury. He had missed the beginning of training camp due to a back injury as well.
In positive injury news, running back MarShawn Lloyd appeared closer than ever to a return. The second-year running back was ramping up on the side with a helmet on and was doing some lateral cutting work.
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