Green Bay Packers coach Matt LaFleur said he doesn’t believe cornerback Jaire Alexander — who missed Sunday’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings with a combination of quad and groin injuries — will be out of the lineup long-term. In fact, the Packers aren’t ruling out the possibility of him playing this week against the Los Angeles Rams.
“I don’t think it’s going to be anything too significant or too long term,” LaFleur said Sunday. “We’ll see if he’s available this week or not.”
Alexander was limited during practices on Wednesday and Thursday because of a quad injury but then missed practice on Friday with a new groin injury. LaFleur said the groin injury happened during practice Thursday.
“It happened on a play in practice. That’s part of football,” LaFleur said.
Alexander was listed as questionable but ended up inactive. It’s possible the timing of the injury — so late in the week — and the combination of lower-body injuries made it impossible for Alexander to get physically ready to play.
Carrington Valentine was also inactive due to a recurring ankle injury. That left the Packers with Eric Stokes and Corey Ballentine as the starting perimeter cornerbacks, and both Justin Jefferson and Jordan Addison caught touchdown passes in the first half of Minnesota’s 31-29 win.
Alexander missed nine games due to a combination of back and shoulder injuries and one game to suspension in 2023 and also 13 games to a significant shoulder injury in 2021. During each of his last full seasons, in 2020 and 2022, he was a second-team All-Pro selection.
The Packers won’t practice again until Wednesday, when the first injury report of Week 5 arrives. A true update on Alexander’s status for Sunday might not arrive until the final injury report on Friday.
Elsewhere on the injury front, LaFleur’s team is now dealing with ankle injuries for both Christian Watson and Devonte Wyatt. It’s possible Watson lands on injured reserve.