The Green Bay Packers finally made it official with Ahmad Brooks.
The team signed Brooks on Sunday. In order to make room for him on the roster, the Packers put backup offensive lineman Don Barclay on injured reserve.
Barclay hurt his ankle in the Packers’ first preseason game against Philadelphia. He hasn’t been on the field since.
We expected the injury wouldn’t be a long-term one. It likely still isn’t, but the Packers can always designate Barclay for return from IR. All teams get two such designations beginning this year.
In terms of the backup offensive line, which was garbage all preseason, the Packers certainly kept enough bodies there. With Barclay on IR, the team still has nine offensive linemen. The backups are Kyle Murphy, Jason Spriggs, Lucas Patrick and Justin McCray.
As for Brooks, it will be interesting to see if he can contribute early, considering he’ll get one week of practice with the team before his first game.