Packers send RB Aaron Jones to injured reserve & sign WR Allen Lazard

As expected, the Green Bay Packers are shutting down running back Aaron Jones for the remainder of the 2018 season. The writing was on the wall for Jones, who suffered a sprained MCL early in Sunday’s game in Chicago and could not return; the team’s addition of running back Kapri Bibbs via waivers on Monday spelled the end of his season.

Jones will finish the year with 133 carries for 728 yards and eight touchdowns while adding 206 yards and a touchdown through the air on 26 receptions. Jones’ 5.5 yards per carry average matches his average from a year ago, when he picked up 448 yards on 81 carries.

The news was first reported by NFL Network’s Tom Pelissero along with the move that filled Jones’ spot.

The spot that Jones vacated will go to wide receiver Allen Lazard, who will sign with the Packers after previously being on the Jacksonville Jaguars’ practice squad. Lazard, a rookie, went undrafted in April but signed with Jacksonville immediately following the draft. He has been on the team’s practice squad all season, landing there after being released on cut-down day at the end of training camp.

Lazard is another big body in the Packers’ receiver room, as he measured in at 6-foot-4-5/8 and 227 pounds at the 2018 NFL Combine. There was some talk early on in the draft process that teams were interested in asking him to bulk up and become a move tight end, but he helped quiet those rumblings when he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.55 seconds. Lazard also recorded a vertical jump of 38 inches in Indianapolis.

A four-year starter at Iowa State, Lazard consistently averaged between 13 and 15 yards per reception, totaling 241 catches for 3,360 yards and 26 touchdowns. He was a two-time first-team All-Big XII receiver, and finished his career with 71-941-10 as a senior in 2017. He also contributed on punt returns as a sophomore, recording a 19.5-yard average on 11 attempts.

The Packers announced these two moves along with a few practice squad transactions shortly after Pelissero’s report. The team also moved tight end Ethan Wolf to the practice squad/injured list and added a pair of players to the active practice squad: defensive lineman Eric Cotton and cornerback D.J. Killings.

Cotton played his college football at Stanford, starting as a tight end before moving to the defensive line. As a senior in 2017, he recorded three sacks and four tackles for loss. He did not receive an invite to the 2018 Combine, nor did he work out at Stanford’s Pro Day due to an Achilles injury.

Killings played at UCF from 2013 to 2016, and he spent a few games on the Indianapolis Colts’ active roster this season before the team waived him a week ago. He spent much of 2017 on the Philadelphia Eagles’ practice squad. Killings recorded five interceptions in college, including three with one pick-six as a senior.