The NFC injury picture is starting to shift, and a few teams are getting key pieces back at just the right time.
In Green Bay, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said defensive lineman Warren Brinson should play this season. LaFleur also noted it has been five weeks since Brinson had groin surgery. That update comes as the Packers continue sorting through their defensive depth and weighing how they handled the trade deadline.
Matt Schneidman of The Athletic also addressed why Green Bay did not add a linebacker before the deadline. He wrote that linebacker Zaire Franklin, who has been out with a shin injury, is expected back soon after missing the last three games. Schneidman added that Ty’Ron Hopper should be recovered from his chest injury, and he described Isaiah McDuffie as “rock solid.”
Schneidman also looked ahead to the eventual return of OLB Micah Parsons and suggested DC Jonathan Gannon should not stray from what has been working. At the same time, he said Gannon could use fewer “exotic pressure packages” with Parsons available so the defense can better protect its defensive backs.
He also weighed in on a few long-term roster questions. Schneidman does not think Green Bay should extend running back Marshawn Lloyd beyond his rookie contract after the 2027 season, citing concerns about his vision, his work after first contact, and his tendency to try to beat defenders to the edge with speed. And on Jordan Morgan, Schneidman said it is still too early to know whether he is the Packers’ long-term answer at left tackle.
Carolina is also getting healthier. The Panthers have six players returning from injuries: CB Mike Jackson, EDGE Jaelan Phillips, CB Will Lee, G Damien Lewis, WR Xavier Legette, and RB Jonathon Brooks. Panthers head coach Dave Canales said he is glad to have so many players on the way back.
“I’m excited about the guys that are kind of staring right at us that are gonna come back to us, in whatever order that looks like,” Canales said, via Joseph Person of The Athletic.
Jackson also shared how the team initially viewed Jaycee Horn’s quad injury. He said he thought the cornerback might be out for the season, but the injury ended up being less serious than expected.
“So I’m shedding tears like, ‘damn, my bro’s probably not gonna play for a while,’” Jackson said. “And then a couple days later he’s like, ‘Well, nah, bro, I probably can play this year.’”
In Minnesota, Justin Jefferson described Kirk Cousins’ return as both “a surreal moment” and “much needed.” Jefferson said Cousins knows how defenses are playing him, understands which plays are “my plays,” and has a feel for the timing and windows needed to get those throws off. Jefferson also said Cousins does not force those looks and lets the game come to him.
“He understands how the defenses play, especially covering me. And he understands the plays that are kind of my plays.
He understands the timing and the windows to throw those type of plays. But he also doesn’t force those types of plays to me, and he just left the game come to me.”
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