Packers Activate Frank Zombo

Here’s a bit of good news to brighten your Saturday night and Sunday morning. Today the Packers have activated OLB Frank Zombo. Even better new is that Zombo is expected to play on Sunday against the Cardinals.

For those who have forgotten how Zombo is, and let’s be honest that could be understandable considering how long he has been out, here’s a bit of background. Zombo was a promising undrafted free agent who turned heads early in camp. He eventually earned some significant playing time for the Packers that year starting 8 games and playing in 13. That year he had 4 sacks, 30 total tackles, and 2 forced fumbles.

Unfortunately as promising as Zombo has been while on the field he has been limited by nagging injuries throughout his Packer career. His rookie season he missed time with an ankle injury. Last year he missed most of the season with shoulder and hamstring injuries. The hamstring injury continued into this year as well landing Zombo on the PUP list.

Earlier in the preseason there was some question as to whether Zombo would be able to make a contribution to the team this year. As fate would have it, there is a natural spot for him to land at the moment with the injury to Nick Perry. Erik Walden has not been an adequate replacement alone for Perry. Walden seems to play best with limited snaps. With a healthy Zombo returning the Packers can once again sport a good rotation of OLB’s opposite Clay Matthews with Zombo, Walden, and rookie Dezman Moses.

Perhaps these three together can help take pressure off of Matthews and help bring back the Packer pass rush that has tapered off since Perry’s injury. At the very least the arrival of Zombo should allow the Packers to activate 46 players on Sunday if Jordy Nelson and/or Jerron McMillian are unable to go for the game.