Tag: Corey Linsley

Packers designate C Corey Linsley for return from IR

The Packers will be getting back their veteran center from injured reserve.

The Green Bay Packers will soon return one of the offense’s most important players.

The team designated center Corey Linsley for return from injured reserve, and he practiced with the team on Tuesday.

The Packers now have a 21-day window to activate Linsley to the 53-man roster. His ability to practice Tuesday suggests he could be back soon, potentially even in time to play against the Tennessee Titans on Sunday night.

Linsley injured his knee against the Chicago Bears on Nov. 29 and was placed on injured reserve on Dec. 5. He missed games against the Philadelphia Eagles, Detroit Lions and Carolina Panthers, all wins for the Packers.

Left guard and first-time Pro Bowler Elgton Jenkins started in Linsley’s place at center. If Linsley returns, Jenkins can move back to left guard, allowing Lucas Patrick to return to right guard and Billy Turner to right tackle.

Linsley played in the Packers’ first 11 games. He was the highest-graded center at Pro Football Focus at the time of his injury. Over 625 total snaps and 379 pass-blocking snaps, Linsley committed zero penalties and gave up just one sack and two total pressures.

Even if Linsley needs more time to get ready to play, the Packers should have their veteran center back in plenty of time for the postseason. Matt LaFleur’s team finishes the 2020 season with games against the Titans and Bears.

 

The NFL’s most egregious Pro Bowl snubs in 2020

Every year, Pro Bowl votes come out, and every year, there are snubs. Here are our most egregious omissions in this year’s voting.

There will be no Pro Bowl game in 2021 due to COVID concerns, but the NFL has released its Pro Bowl rosters for the 2020 season, which you can see here. While most of the players are deserving, there are also reputation picks that don’t match up with performance — and just as surely, there are players who should absolutely be Pro Bowlers who aren’t.

Why is this a big deal? Pro Bowl selections matter. They matter in contract negotiations, and they matter in Hall of Fame voting. It’s important that the NFL’s best players are regarded as such in any season, which is why I’ve taken the time to list the snubs in this year’s Pro Bowl voting.

It’s the best we can do.

Corey Linsley is Packers’ nominee for Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award in 2020

The Green Bay Packers selected veteran center Corey Linsley as the team’s nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award in 2020. All 32 teams pick one nominee, based on a “commitment to philanthropy and community impact.” Linsley is now in …

The Green Bay Packers selected veteran center Corey Linsley as the team’s nominee for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award in 2020.

All 32 teams pick one nominee, based on a “commitment to philanthropy and community impact.”

Linsley is now in his seventh season with the Packers.

All 32 nominees will wear a decal on their helmets beginning in Week 14 and continuing through the season. Linsley, who injured his knee in Week 12, is currently on injured reserve.

The winner of the award will be announced during the week of the Super Bowl at NFL Honors. All previous winners wear a Man of the Year patch on their uniforms.

The Packers’ last two nominees for the award were defensive lineman Kenny Clark in 2018 and linebacker Blake Martinez in 2019.

From the NFL: “All 32 nominees will receive a $40,000 donation in their name to their charity of choice. The winner of the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award will receive a $250,000 donation to the charity of their choice. All donations are courtesy of the NFL Foundation and Nationwide.”

Previous Packers nominees for the Walter Payton NFL Man of the Year award:

Year Player Position
2014 Aaron Rodgers QB
2015 Sam Barrington LB
2016 Jayrone Elliott LB
2017 Clay Matthews LB
2018 Kenny Clark DL
2019 Blake Martinez LB
2020 Corey Linsley C

 

Packers place C Corey Linsley on injured reserve

The Packers will be without their veteran center for at least the next three games.

The Green Bay Packers will be without their veteran center for at least the next three games.

The team placed Corey Linsley on injured reserve on Saturday, meaning he’ll miss Sunday’s visit from the Philadelphia Eagles and at least two other games before he’s eligible to return.

Linsley injured his knee during the Packers’ win over the Chicago Bears and didn’t practice all week.

Various reports put his return timeline between three and six weeks.

Under new injured reserve rules, Linsley only needs to miss three games before he can return, giving him a shot to play again during the regular season.

The Packers play the Eagles, Detroit Lions and Carolina Panthers over the next three games.

During each of the last two games, coach Matt LaFleur decided to replace Linsley by moving left guard Elgton Jenkins to center, a position he played extensively during college. Rookie Jon Runyan Jr. played left guard.

The Packers didn’t immediately replace Linsley on the 53-man roster, although offensive lineman Ben Braden was elevated from the practice squad as a COVID-19 replacement (A.J. Dillon) and tight end Dominique Dafney was elevated from the practice squad to the gameday roster for Week 13.

Linsley, 29, started the first 11 games of the 2020 season. He is the No. 1 rated center at Pro Football Focus by overall grade.

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The NFL’s 2021 All-Free Agent Team: The Offense

Whether your team is on top of the playoff picture, on the fringe, or out of the picture entirely, there’s nothing unusual about turning one’s thoughts to the next wave of free agency, which takes place when the new league year begins in March. …

Whether your team is on top of the playoff picture, on the fringe, or out of the picture entirely, there’s nothing unusual about turning one’s thoughts to the next wave of free agency, which takes place when the new league year begins in March. Projected revenue shortfalls in the 2020 season due to COVID has the estimated 2021 salary cap at $175 million, down from 2020’s figure of $198.2 million.

That would affect the total value of free agent contracts to a degree — the lower ceiling would present a lower aggregate — but that notwithstanding, there’s a ton of potential talent on the hoof once that gate opens.

Here, per our statistical and tape study, are the best offensive free agents of the 2021 league year. We’ll get to the defense later in the week.

(All advanced metrics courtesy of Pro Football Focus and OverTheCap.com).

Report: Packers C Corey Linsley has MCL sprain

The Packers center could miss a couple of weeks or a month or more with an MCL sprain.

Green Bay Packers center Corey Linsley left Sunday night’s win over the Chicago Bears with what is believed to be an MCL sprain, according to Mike Garafolo of NFL Network.

Linsley was injured during the first half when two players rolled up on the back of his legs during a play. He got off the field but eventually needed a cart to exit the sideline.

After the 41-25 win, Packers coach Matt LaFleur said the early prognosis on Linsley’s injury was that it would not be season-ending.

Depending on the severity of the MCL sprain, Linsley could miss a couple of weeks or a month or more.

For the second straight game, the Packers used left guard Elgton Jenkins at center after Linsley departed. Last week in Indianapolis, Linsley injured his back and didn’t return. Rookie Jon Runyan Jr. replaced Jenkins at left guard.

Linsley, a free agent following the 2020 season, is the No. 1 center by overall grade at Pro Football Focus.

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Report: Packers C Corey Linsley has ‘minor’ back injury

According to ESPN, Linsley won’t miss significant time while he deals with a minor back injury.

The Green Bay Packers might have dodged a bullet along the offensive line.

According to Jeremy Fowler of ESPN, Packers center Corey Linsley left Sunday’s game with a “minor” back injury and “shouldn’t miss significant time.”

Linsley exited Sunday’s loss to the Indianapolis Colts after just 10 snaps. The broadcast showed the veteran center walking gingerly back to the locker room, and the Packers eventually ruled him out after halftime.

In response, the Packers shifted left guard Elgton Jenkins to center and inserted rookie Jon Runyan Jr. at left guard. The team also could have moved right guard Lucas Patrick to center, but Runyan’s preferred position is at left guard.

Linsley, a free agent following the 2020 season, has played 604 snaps for the Packers offense this season. He is the No. 1 rated center at Pro Football Focus.

In recent years, Linsley has missed practice and been on the injury report with back-related issues.

The Packers play the Chicago Bears in Week 12. They won’t release an official injury report until Wednesday.

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Packers C Corey Linsley exits game vs. Colts

#Packers C Corey Linsley (back) is questionable to return. #GBvsIND – Green Bay Packers (@packers) November 22, 2020 The Green Bay Packers are shuffling their offensive line due to an in-game injury once again. Center Corey Linsley exited Sunday’s …

The Green Bay Packers are shuffling their offensive line due to an in-game injury once again.

Center Corey Linsley exited Sunday’s contest at Lucas Oil Stadium and is questionable to return with a back injury.

In response, the Packers shifted left guard Elgton Jenkins to center and inserted rookie Jon Runyan Jr. at left guard.

Jenkins, a second-round pick in 2019, has played snaps at left tackle, left guard, center and right tackle this season.

Runyan has played 56 total snaps, including 33 at left guard. He was a sixth-round pick in the 2020 draft.

Linsley, a free agent following the 2020 season, has had back issues in the past. He is the NFL’s top-graded center at Pro Football Focus this season.

Packers C Corey Linsley enjoying All-Pro caliber season in 2020

The election is over, but a new campaign begins: Packers center Corey Linsley for Pro Bowl or All-Pro.

The 2020 season is half over for the Green Bay Packers, making it the perfect time to start seriously considering center Corey Linsley for Pro Bowl and All-Pro honors.

There has been no better player at the center position in the NFL this season.

According to Pro Football Focus, Linsley has allowed just a single pressure despite playing 321 pass-blocking snaps. He hasn’t committed a penalty and is also the site’s top-graded run-blocking center, with his 89.5 grade in the run game representing a new career-best. Overall, Linsley is the top-rated center (91.1) in the NFL at PFF by over 10 points (next highest: Frank Ragnow, 78.0).

Linsley, now in his seventh season as the starting center in Green Bay, is playing the 2020 season on the final year of his deal. He has never been a Pro Bowler or All-Pro.

Helping his cause this year: Linsley is playing great, and he’s the anchor for one of the NFL’s best offensive lines.

Aaron Rodgers has been sacked nine times in eight games. His sack percentage is 3.1, far and away the best of his career as the Packers starting quarterback. According to PFF, he’s been under pressure on just 24.2 percent of his dropbacks, the fourth-best mark among NFL starting quarterbacks.

Despite moving parts to his left and right due to injuries, Linsley has remained the lone constant. As a center, Linsley works with Rodgers to identify defensive fronts and potential blitzes and change protections on the fly.

The run game has been productive. Blocking plays a big part, and the Packers rank sixth in the NFL in adjusted line yards, a metric developed by Football Outsiders to judge the quality of run blocking by the offensive line.

Linsley has been terrific in the middle. He is quick off the ball, allowing him to execute difficult reach blocks in the wide zone run scheme, and he times out combo blocks well, using awareness and feel to move off double teams and get to the second level to create alleyways for running backs Aaron Jones and Jamaal Williams.

Sports Info Solutions has a metric known as “Total Points Earned.” Among centers, Linsley ranks second in the NFL, trailing only Jason Kelce. He ranks third in points earned through pass-blocking and fourth in run blocking, and he’s been credited with just one “blown block.”

The metrics are clear: Linsley is playing at a very high level. He is arguably the NFL’s best center entering Week 10, and he’s anchoring the middle for a top offensive line and one of the NFL’s top offenses overall.

One election might be over but a new campaign is beginning. Corey Linsley for Pro Bowl and All-Pro in 2020.

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Gallery: Vikings upset Packers at Lambeau

The top photos from Sunday’s Vikings’ win over the Packers at Lambeau Field.

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