The Packers just signed wide receiver Jordy Nelson to a long-term contract extension, so the last thing they’d want to do to celebrate is anything that would put him at risk of missing extended time this season.
That meant going the extra mile in terms of precaution when Nelson came down with a minor hamstring injury recently. Nelson skipped the preseason opener and a few practices, but his absence came to an end on Tuesday.
Nelson was back on the field, but the wraps weren’t totally off. Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com reports that Nelson took the first rep of each set of team periods, but did little else during those drills. That suggests the Packers are going to be easing him back to full speed, which could mean that they’ll hold off on making a decision about Nelson’s availability for Saturday’s game against the Rams.
If Nelson doesn’t play, he’ll still have the third preseason game and plenty of practice time to use to round himself into form for the regular season.