The Green Bay Packers desperately need Jordy Nelson to remain healthy this season to ensure the passing game doesn’t suffer like it did in his absence last season. With this in mind, it may have been alarming to Packers fans when the receiver started training camp on the PUP (physically unable to perform) list.
There is no reason to panic, however, as NFL Network reporter Mike Garafolo passed along.
Jordy Nelson said he's on PUP because he tweaked his other knee while working out. "It's not the ACL. No one needs to freak out."
— Mike Garafolo (@MikeGarafolo) July 26, 2016
Let’s just hope the “tweaked” knee isn’t anything that will linger.
Packers fans and fantasy football owners alike are counting on Nelson to return to the form that saw him as one of the NFL’s most dangerous receivers from 2011-14.
In particular, Nelson was dominant during the 2014 season when he caught 98 passes for 1,519 yards and 13 touchdowns — his second double-digit touchdown season after catching 15 in 2011.
Likely, this is a story of the Packers being particularly sensitive about protecting one of their top players from unnecessary risk. We already know what he’s capable of doing, and he and Rodgers have years worth of chemistry under their belts.
The biggest question we have at this point is this: Given the fact Nelson tore his ACL in the preseason last year, will he even suit up for an exhibition game in 2016?