The Green Bay Packers have to be feeling great about the status of offensive lineman Elgton Jenkins.
Jenkins has been absent from Green Bay's offensive line ever since he tore his ACL in Week 11 of last season. He was considered ahead of schedule in his recovery earlier this summer and things looked even more promising when he was deactivated from the PUP (physically unable to play) list earlier this week.
If Jenkins getting off the PUP list was reason to be optimistic, the latest news out of training camp is reason for Packers fans to be downright excited.
Elgton Jenkins at RT during first team period.
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) August 15, 2022
Not only is Jenkins playing, but he's playing with the first team again.
The Packers are no strangers to crippling knee injuries to star players. Left tackle David Bakhtiari basically missed all of last season because of an ACL injury he suffered the season before — and he's still not even cleared to play this season.
Bakhtiari's struggles in recovery and the importance of protecting four-time MVP Aaron Rodgers — who's 38 years old — provide the context that makes this news so important to Green Bay.
Jenkins is a 6-foot-5, 311-pound athletic marvel who can play every single position on the offensive line. He made the Pro Bowl in 2020 and was en route to a potentially All-Pro year in 2021 before he suffered his ACL tear.
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