Green Bay Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander attempted to come back early from a torn ligament in his knee but may have done more bad than good during Sunday’s brief appearance against the Chicago Bears.
Alexander told Matt Schneidman of The Athletic that he tore his PCL — the post cruciate ligament — during the Packers’ win over the Jacksonville Jaguars on Oct. 27. He tried to play through the injury three weeks later but lasted only 10 plays before exiting Sunday’s win at Soldier Field.
Alexander said he “felt something” in his knee and was shut down for the rest of the contest. Now, his return timeline is up in the air.
The Packers listed Alexander as questionable to play against the Bears after he practiced in a limited capacity each day of the week. He went through an on-field workout program to test the knee and felt good enough to play. But even Alexander admitted that three weeks of healing wasn’t enough and he needed “more time” to get completely over a PCL injury.
While Alexander — who has missed back-to-back practices this week — may need multiple weeks to get over the injury, he is expecting to play again this season. It’s unclear if injured reserve — which would require missing at least four games — is an option. The Packers play seven more regular season games in 2024.
A PCL injury is common after landing awkwardly from a jump, as Alexander did late in the fourth quarter of the Packers’ win in Jacksonville.
Without Alexander for the foreseeable future, the Packers will need Keisean Nixon, Carrington Valentine and Eric Stokes to step up as perimeter cornerbacks in Jeff Hafley’s defense, starting Sunday against the San Francisco 49ers.