Packers Injury Report: Green Bay rules out 4 vs. Falcons

The Green Bay Packers have officially ruled out five players for action on Thursday: receiver Jayden Reed (neck), right tackle Zach Bako-Bewele (knee), left guard Aaron Banks (knee/toe) and defensive lineman Warren Brinson (calf). Reed and Bako-Bewele suffered major injuries, but have yet to be placed on the injured reserve, while Brinson has yet to play in a game since injuring himself in warmups before the team’s Week 2 preseason game. The big surprise here is that Banks has already been ruled out, as head coach Matt LaFleur said just yesterday that he would give the offensive lineman until 90 minutes before kickoff to make a ruling on his status.

Questionable players going into the game are defensive linemen Anthony Campbell (ankle) and Javon Hargrave (knee/concussion). Both were limited participants for the Packers’ two walkthrough practices this week. Green Bay desperately needs to have five bodies at the position, as they run a 3-4 defense, but with three injuries on the line, they could be down to just Devonte Wyatt, Karl Brooks, Jonathan Ford and rookie Chris McClellan against Atlanta. Their practice squad call-up option is Eric Johnson II, who was signed just a week ago.

The good news on the injury report was that the following players were cleared to play on Thursday: receiver Bo Melton (neck), Anthony Belton (elbow), Donovan Jennings (hand), linebacker Edgerrin Cooper (shoulder), cornerback Brandon Cisse (teeth) and cornerback Benjamin St-Juste (hamstring). Belton and Jennings will most likely replace Bako-Bewele and Banks at right tackle and left guard, respectively.

Meanwhile, the Falcons are relatively healthy, as only edge defender Samson Ebukam (hamstring) has been ruled out for tomorrow. Billy Bowman, the team’s slot defender who was a full participant in practices all week, was listed as questionable.