The Green Bay Packers will place safety Darnell Savage on injured reserve after he aggravated a calf injury on Sunday against the Denver Broncos, per Rob Demovsky of ESPN.
Savage’s injury isn’t season-ending but going on injured reserve means the veteran safety must miss at least four games before he’s eligible to return. The Packers won’t have Savage for games against the Minnesota Vikings, Los Angeles Rams, Pittsburgh Steelers and Los Angeles Chargers.
Savage was originally injured during the Packers’ loss to the Las Vegas Raiders on Oct. 9. He practiced in a limited capacity all three days last week coming out of the bye and started at safety against the Broncos, but he went down mid-play during the second quarter in Denver and didn’t return.
Savage has been on the field for 344 defensive snaps and 51 special teams snaps this season.
Without Savage, the Packers could start veteran Jonathan Owens or rookie Anthony Johnson Jr. at safety next to Rudy Ford for the next month. The team also has special teamer Dallin Leavitt and Zayne Anderson at safety.
Savage going on injured reserve will clear a roster spot for cornerback Corey Ballentine, who is being signed from the practice squad, per Bill Huber of SI.com.