A pair of veteran additions made this week by the Green Bay Packers are inactive and won’t play on Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals.
Linebacker Jaylon Smith and cornerback Rasul Douglas are both on the Packers’ inactive list for Week 5.
The Packers signed Smith, the former Cowboys linebacker, on Thursday. He had just one practice before flying out to Cincinnati. The Packers are currently fine at linebacker, especially with starter Krys Barnes returning, allowing the team to be patient before throwing Smith into the fire on defense.
The same goes for Douglas, who was signed off the Cardinals practice squad on Wednesday. He got more practice time than Smith in Green Bay, but only marginally. The Packers will return Kevin King to the field on Sunday, lessening the need for Douglas even with Jaire Alexander now on injured reserve. King, rookie Eric Stokes and slot corner Chandon Sullivan are the expected starters, with Issac Yiadom and rookie Shemar Jean-Charles as the backups.
It’s possible Smith and Douglas could make their Packers debuts next week against the Bears.
Here is the Packers’ full inactive list for Sunday:
OL Elgton Jenkins
OL Josh Myers
LB Jaylon Smith
CB Rasul Douglas
S Vernon Scott
DL Jack Heflin
The Packers and Bengals will kick off at noon from Paul Brown Stadium in Cincinnati. Matt LaFleur’s team is without three of its four preferred starters along the offensive line and four of the team’s eight best players. The injury situation creates an increasingly tricky matchup for the Packers on the road against the AFC North-leading Bengals.
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