As of Tuesday morning, there were five NFC North players sitting on their respective teams' physically unable to perform (PUP) lists. We're pretty sure that four of them won't play in 2012. And we'll need to hear pretty soon about a roster move involving the fifth, or he too will be lost for the year.
The Detroit Lions have already ruled out activating running back Jahvid Best and rookie cornerback Chris Greenwood from the PUP list. They won't be eligible to practice again until the offseason.
There are no indications that the Chicago Bears will activate receiver Johnny Knox, whose career is in jeopardy because of a severe back injury he suffered late last season. And Green Bay Packers coach Mike McCarthy has sounded pessimistic that offensive lineman Derek Sherrod will pass enough tests to merit an activation before Wednesday's deadline. Sherrod suffered a gruesome broken leg late last season.
That leaves Packers tight end Andrew Quarless, who suffered a major knee injury last season but returned to practice last month. He has completed his three-week window of practice without counting against the 53-man roster, meaning the Packers must activate him by Wednesday or lose him for the season.
As of 5 p.m. ET, the Packers had made no announcement about Quarless or Sherrod. We'll let you know if anything changes.
