Green Bay Packers receiver Jordy Nelson was on the practice field running around on Tuesday, which is the most we’ve seen him do since he tore his ACL last August.
Nelson wasn’t participating in drills with teammates though and that might not happen until training camp.
While Nelson would like to be on the field, the Packers have decided to hold him out for now.
“It’s still just a progression. Like I said when we came back [on April 18], OTAs was going to be up for debate. And there’s a lot more higher-ups than me [who won the debate],” Nelson said. “Obviously, they’re being smart and they’re probably doing the right thing. But you always push the limit.”
Nelson’s progress is being termed as “on schedule.”
The team is obviously being cautious and with good reason. Without Nelson in 2015, the deep ball virtually disappeared from the Packers offense. Quarterback Aaron Rodgers completed a career-low (as a starter) six passes of 40-plus.
Rodgers had more 40-plus completions (7) in 2013, when he played only nine games.
Nelson is obviously integral to that element of the offense.
And while the Packers are playing it safe for now, coach Mike McCarthy suggested Nelson could see his workload increase before camp.
“I know this week we’re going to stick to the individual [drills] on air, [but] we’ll see what next week’s plan is,” McCarthy said.