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Welcome to #Packers Public Practice No. 🙌🤙
Kevin King is off NFI and practicing today pic.twitter.com/Fs3GqOWJkf
— Wes Hodkiewicz (@WesHod) August 12, 2021
The long-awaited return of cornerback Kevin King came Thursday for the Green Bay Packers.
King, who missed the first 11 practices of training camp while dealing with a hamstring injury, came off the non-football injury list and was in pads for the start of practice on Thursday morning, per Wes Hodkiewicz of the team’s official site.
So begins an important season for King, who returned to the Packers on a one-year deal this offseason. After more injuries and a disappointing end to his 2020 season, King will get one more shot to prove he’s worthy of a lucrative long-term deal, whether it’s in Green Bay or elsewhere.
King started 11 games last season but produced only five pass breakups and didn’t have an interception. He had five interceptions and 15 pass breakups during the 2019 season, his best in the NFL.
A second-round pick in 2017, King missed 23 of a possible 64 games over his first four NFL seasons. Shoulder and lower-body injuries have plagued his career.
Over the first 11 practices, first-round pick Eric Stokes ran with the first-team defense opposite Jaire Alexander. Defensive backs coach Jerry Gray said King would not lose his starting job due to injury, so expect to see King running with the starters once he’s ready for team periods.
King isn’t the only player to return from the Packers’ non-football injury list on Thursday. Defensive lineman Kingsley Keke and rookie linebacker Isaiah McDuffie also returned, leaving only safety Will Redmond and linebacker Za’Darius Smith as the only two still on the list.
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