The Green Bay Packers’ first injury report of Week 11 brought good news on the potential playing status of cornerback Kevin King.
Sidelined since the bye with a quadriceps injury, King practiced fully on Wednesday and could be trending toward a return to action on Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts.
King was originally injured against the Atlanta Falcons in Week 4. He initially missed two games before suffering a setback and missing three more games, including Sunday’s win over the Jacksonville Jaguars.
King started the first four games of the 2020 season, tallying 16 tackles over 195 snaps.
The Packers still aren’t sure if they’ll get back cornerback Jaire Alexander, who remains in the concussion protocol but practiced in a limited capacity on Wednesday. Returning King could alleviate some of the concern at the position if Alexander has to miss a second straight contest.
With King and Alexander against the Jaguars, the Packers played Chandon Sullivan, Josh Jackson, and Ka’dar Hollman at cornerback.
King might also be important for combating Colts rookie receiver Michael Pittman, who caught seven passes for a career-best 101 yards last week against the Tennessee Titans. Pittman is big and athletic, but King has the length and speed to combat his impressive physical skills.
In fact, if both King and Alexander play, the Packers could have the ideal cornerback combo for covering Pittman and T.Y. Hilton.
Coach Matt LaFleur wasn’t asked about King’s status on Wednesday, but keep an eye out for his participation status at Thursday’s practice. Another run at full capacity will strongly suggest King is ready to return.
A free agent after the 2020 season, King has missed 23 games to injury since entering the NFL as a second-round pick in 2017. He intercepted five passes and had 15 pass breakups during a breakout season in 2019.
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