GREEN BAY, Wis. -- It was good news for Dean Lowry and bad news for Vince Biegel, but the regular-season opener is still up in the air for the two Green Bay Packers defensive players.
Packers coach Mike McCarthy confirmed what ESPN reported on Monday night -- that Lowry’s knee injury “is not a long-term concern,” McCarthy said, adding that the second-year defensive tackle will not practice on Tuesday.
Biegel, the rookie fourth-round outside linebacker who underwent foot surgery in May, still isn’t ready to practice this week and with only one week remaining in the preseason -- and just one practice next week before the exhibition finale -- it’s starting to look like the former University of Wisconsin standout may start the season on the physically unable to perform list.
McCarthy said team physician Dr. Pat McKenzie told him Biegel still isn’t ready to return. Biegel’s surgery was the second on his right foot in less than a year. He underwent the first procedure last fall during his senior season in college and missed only two games.
“I just think the fact that the history of the injury, the reoccurrence, there’s probably a threshold or two more that the medical staff, they want to really make sure he’s clear of,” McCarthy said. “Because a setback is always something that you want to avoid. And we haven’t had any setbacks. It’s just a matter of where he is in the progress of rehab. Yes, I’m not really thinking about Week 1. It’s just, you’ve got to get the guys that are not healthy, healthy, and create opportunities for the guys who are healthy, and we’ll sort everything out after the [preseason finale].”
Biegel could be activated off PUP any time during the preseason, but if he starts Week 1 with that designation (which does not count on the 53-man roster) he could not play the first six weeks of the regular season.
