Packers WR Randall Cobb Facing Extended Absence

OCTOBER 18: Cobb is likely to be sidelined for several weeks, head coach Matt LaFleur confirmed on Monday. As ESPN’s Rob Demovsky notes, an IR stint is in consideration; that would keep the veteran out for at least four weeks. In more positive injury news at the position, LaFleur expressed optimism that the Packers could open Watkins’ IR return window this week.

OCTOBER 17: The offensive struggles continued for the Packers during yesterday’s loss to the Jets, and the unit lost another pass-catcher in the process. Wideout Randall Cobb was carted off the field with what he initially feared would be a season-ending injury. That appears to not be the case, though the veteran is likely to be sidelined for an extended period.

Cobb did not suffer a broken ankle, but rather a potential high ankle sprain, per NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport (Twitter link). That would allow him to return at some point in the season, but the news still represents another blow for Green Bay’s WR corps.

Fellow veteran Sammy Watkins has been out since Week 2 due to a hamstring injury. That same ailment has also cost second-round rookie Christian Watson a pair of games to date, as the Packers look to find chemistry at a position featuring several new faces. The departures of Davante Adams and Marquez Valdes-Scantling in the offseason left the team with their current assemblage of pass-catchers.

As a whole, the unit sits 18th in the league at 246 yards per game through the air. The offense’s overall struggles (17.8 points per game, 24th in the NFL), though, have been attributed in no small part to an inconsistent passing game. Cobb ranks second on the team with 257 receiving yards this season – including a seven-catch, 99-yard performance in Week 5.

The 32-year-old dealt with a core injury last season, the first of his second stint in Green Bay. That limited him t0 12 games in 2021, though his five touchdowns demonstrated his potential continued value to the team (especially given the inexperience of the receiver room) in the latter stages of his career. Cobb, a free agent at the end of the season, will look to rehab in time to make a return to the field, as Green Bay moves forward with an even more shorthanded WR room.

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