Packers’ Equanimeous St. Brown reportedly has a high ankle sprain, not a broken ankle

The Green Bay Packers got some good news on the injury front on Friday. Less than 24 hours after the team left Winnipeg, Manitoba as a M*A*S*H unit, the player who seemingly suffered the worst injury of the group has an update that is better than expected.

Wide receiver Equanimeous St. Brown suffered an ankle injury in the second quarter of the Packers’ game against the Oakland Raiders on Thursday. St. Brown’s left foot got caught under him while he was absorbing an illegal helmet-to-helmet hit from Raiders safety Erik Harris, bending backwards significantly. Initial speculation was that St. Brown had suffered a broken ankle, which could have kept him out four months or more.

However, Friday’s MRI brought good news. Instead of a broken ankle, St. Brown reportedly has a high-ankle sprain instead, an injury that should not cost him the entire season. That injury is a notoriously tough one to predict a timetable for, but Ian Rapoport’s initial reporting suggests a 4-6 week time frame.

St. Brown could be a candidate to go on injured reserve, which would cost him eight weeks should he return from that list. However, in order to be eligible to return, he would need to remain on the Packers’ 53-man roster through the cut-down deadline on Saturday, August 31st. That could complicate the Packers’ roster plans, particularly if they hope to keep six more receivers to start the regular season.

It would appear that five other receiver spots are effectively locked in. Davante Adams and Marquez Valdes-Scantling look to start on the boundary, Geronimo Allison appears to be the primary slot option, and Jake Kumerow and Trevor Davis have entrenched themselves as key players as backups and special teams contributors. Keeping St. Brown through cuts would make six before getting to Darrius Shepherd, who appears to remain in competition with Allen Lazard for a possible seventh spot.