The Green Bay Packers activated two guys who spent the first 10 games of the season on the physically unable to perform list, today. They are defensive lineman Jerel Worthy and safety Sean Richardson.
Worthy tore his ACL late last season and Richardson had been dealing with a neck injury.
Here’s the surprising part. Cornerback Casey Hayward’s season is over. The Packers put him on injured reserve, along with cornerback James Nixon, to make room for Worthy and Richardson on the active roster.
Hayward played in just three games this season after leading the Packers with six interceptions as a rookie. He hurt his hamstring in the preseason, returned in late October and then reinjured it against Philadelphia.
We knew Hayward would be out for a few weeks, but it was projected that he’d return at some point. Obviously, the Packers didn’t want to wait.
Both Worthy and Richardson can contribute now.
With Johnny Jolly likely out this week, the Packers can use Worthy in the defensive line rotation. And we know about the Packers’ problems at safety.
M.D. Jennings is the starter, but he’s a guy who probably wouldn’t be starting on any other NFL team. Jerron McMillian is awful and has been benched. The only other guy back there other than Morgan Burnett is Chris Banjo and he’s an undrafted rookie.
That’s not to suggest Richardson — or Worthy for that matter — is going to come in and get a lot of playing time right away, but at least he’s an option.