Matt LaFleur broke news on Monday, July 28 that this two-time Pro-Bowler would be returning to practice. The Green Bay Packers were more than thrilled after he opened the season on the non-football injury list.
Now, Green Bay has their sights set on training camp for the near future. Even though he’s opening with individual trills, a position change was likely which will need as many reps as possible.
Matt LaFleur Confirms Elgton Jenkins is Returning to Practice
With two years left on his four-year, $68 million deal, Elgton Jenkins is expected to suit up once again. He is a crucial part of this Packers offense, one that has done their best to protect Jordan Love.
Jenkins is searching for a revised contract as he’s set to move to center. The former left guard is the team’s ideal choice to snap the ball as he’s been with the team since 2019. The Mississippi State graduate was immediately named a Pro Bowler in 2020, being named to the team in 2022 as well.
Having started 85 games in his NFL career so far, Packers fans were skeptical when Jenkins began the season on the NFI. Even though he wasn’t practicing, Jenkins was still seen at practice supporting the team. Amid numerous contract holdout situations across the league, Jenkins has stuck by his teammates throughout the entire process.
ESPN Madison on Jenkins Returning from Injury
Knowing the situation, Brad Nortman wasted no time discussing the return on ESPN Madison. The Wilde and Tausch show featured breaking news regarding Jenkins return, with Nortman adding his thoughts.
“Well, it’s a step. It’s movement,” he said. “I just hope he is careful and that he just does individual drills with whatever he’s comfortable with.”
Nortman added, “With the ongoing situations that are occurring, that can create a little bit of drama. I gotta give it to Elgton, man. It would be easy for him to keep his feet in the ground and just say, ‘I’m not doing anything until we meet at least partially, halfway’.”
“It’s not the agent that’s telling him, ‘Hey, why don’t you go out there and play’. It’s likely Elgton saying, ‘You know what? I just can’t sit back and watch practice anymore. I gotta suit up, I gotta be out there with my guys’,” Nortman mentioned.
Jenkins suiting up is a testament to how much of a team player he is. There’s no guarantees that he’ll land a new contract, especially with Zach Tom making $88M over the next four years. Green Bay is no strangers to reworking contracts though, and they’ll do whatever they can to please the 6’5” 311 pound guard.
Green Bay Continues to Get Healthier
Christian Watson is the main piece of the injury puzzle that has yet to be solved. Things seem to be progressing at a great pace, but that remains to be seen. Knowing his injury history, the team is likely going to take the cautious approach before letting him return to action.
Quay Walker was seen doing fumble recovery drills at training camp. He was spotted “30 yards” behind the defense during 11-on-11 drills, signaling he could be returning in the near future. Walker will be back before Watson, but Jenkins being back is a huge addition to Green Bay’s training camp.
