Green Bay Packers cornerback Keisean Nixon, who left Sunday’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings, has avoided a significant shoulder injury, according to Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Nixon, a free-agent addition of the Packers this offseason, left Week 1 after making a tackle on third down to force a punt in the third quarter. He exited the game and didn’t return.
Silverstein didn’t provide an exact timeline but said Nixon won’t miss significant time with the injury.
Nixon is Green Bay’s No. 4 cornerback and a core special teams player.
On the play, Nixon took a strong angle at Vikings receiver K.J. Osborn and made a terrific open-field tackle to prevent a third-down conversion. He got up holding his arm and appeared to be in significant pain on the sideline as team doctors worked on the injury.
It ended up being Nixon’s only snap on defense of the afternoon in Minneapolis.
While Nixon is out, the Packers will likely rely on second-year cornerback Shemar Jean-Charles – who was inactive in Week 1 – in a bigger role. The Packers also have Kiondre Thomas and Benjie Franklin on the practice squad.
It appears the Packers got mostly encouraging news on the prominent injuries coming out of Week 1. Krys Barnes (ankle) avoided a major injury and Quay Walker (shoulder) should have a chance to play in Week 2. Offensive lineman Jon Runyan Jr. will be in the concussion protocol this week.
The team will release the first injury report of Week 2 on Wednesday. The Packers play the Chicago Bears in the home opener on Sunday night.
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