The Green Bay Packers already have one starting cornerback on Injured Reserve and out for at least several more weeks; now they can add another to the injured list for the foreseeable future.
When Sam Shields suffered a concussion in week one, Damarious Randall was expected to step up in his absence. Instead, Randall suffered a groin injury prior to the team’s week five game against the New York Giants that kept him out of that contest. When he re-aggravated the injury during the Packers’ loss to the Cowboys, the prognosis got worse.
Now, Rob Demovsky of ESPN reports that Randall had surgery for his injury over the weekend, and the Green Bay Press-Gazette’s Ryan Wood indicates that a typical recovery for this type of surgery is in the 4 to 6 week range.
Starting the clock with this past weekend, a 4-week recovery would put Randall back in time for the Packers’ Sunday Night game against Washington in week 11. If it extends out to six weeks, that would result in his return against Houston in week 13. In either case, Randall is sure to miss the next two games; the Packers are on the road against the Atlanta Falcons next Sunday before returning home to play the Colts in week nine. Both of those offenses prominently feature the passing game, which should put a strain on the Packers’ defense.
The Packers will need to hope that Quinten Rollins’ groin injury does not require the same level of repair, as his return would be a big boost to a thin cornerback group. In the past two games, the Packers have made do with a starting pair of LaDarius Gunter and Demetri Goodson, with Micah Hyde manning the slot in the nickel and Morgan Burnett moving down in the dime package.