Green Bay Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander exited Sunday’s win over the Chicago Bears with a knee injury. He was questionable to play coming into Sunday, and clearly wasn’t 100 percent to begin the contest. He left the game near halftime and was eventually ruled out for the rest of the game early in the third quarter.
Here are the latest updates on the Packers’ injured cornerback:
Jaire Alexander injury update
Alexander first injured his knee in the fourth quarter of the Packers’ Week 8 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. He then missed the Packers’ Week 9 loss to the Detroit Lions but returned to practice coming out of the bye — getting in limited practices on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
While active after getting in a pre-game workout Sunday, Alexander played only a handful of snaps in the first half before exiting.
According to Ian Rapoport of NFL Network, Alexander did not suffer a serious injury and is simply dealing with a continuation of the same knee injury. He is “going to be OK,” per Rapoport, but that update leaves his recovery timeline in doubt in the short term.
How long will Alexander be out?
It’s unclear at this point. Rapoport’s update rules out a significant, long-term absence, but Alexander might be hard-pressed to return in time to play the San Francisco 49ers next Sunday. Considering Alexander first suffered the injury on Oct. 27, and is still dealing with the effects on Nov. 17, it’s safe to say this could be a multi-week injury issue for the Packers.
When will we know more?
Coach Matt LaFleur has a post-game press conference in Green Bay on Monday. It’s possible an update could arrive then. If not, the Packers won’t practice or put out an injury report in Week 12 until Wednesday.
Packers cornerback depth chart
Without Alexander on Sunday, the Packers relied on Keisean Nixon, Carrington Valentine and even Eric Stokes at the two perimeter cornerback positions. Nixon and Valentine both had rough moments in coverage against Caleb Williams and the Bears’ talented group of receivers. The Packers clearly like Nixon on the outside with rookie Javon Bullard in the slot, which allows the secondary to start Evan Williams next to Xavier McKinney at safety. If Alexander misses more time, expect to see Nixon at one corner spot and either Valentine or Stokes opposite him at cornerback. More and more, Alexander is looking unreliable in terms of availability, making cornerback a potential fatal flaw as the postseason approaches.