Allen Lazard out indefinitely after core muscle surgery, per report

If Davante Adams is indeed on his way back from a hamstring injury, his return can’t come soon enough. Allen Lazard, the Packers’ top receiver with Adams hurt, will be out indefinitely after having surgery to repair an injured core muscle. ESPN’s Adam Schefter broke the news.

This is a latest twist in a fast-developing story concerning Lazard’s injury status. Lazard missed practice today, and it wasn’t immediately clear why, but he was listed on today’s injury report with a core injury. Later this afternoon, we learned that he was having a consultation with Dr. William Meyers, one of the country’s leading core muscle specialists. Now it appears the Packers will have to do without Lazard for the foreseeable future.

Lazard was in the midst of what appeared to be a true breakout season, piling up 254 yards on just 13 catches, scoring two touchdowns in the process. Through three weeks, he was the most productive receiver in football according to Football Outsiders’ DYAR and DVOA metrics.

His absence will leave the Packers perilously thin at receiver. Even if Davante Adams can play on Sunday, the depth chart behind him is populated with question marks. Marquez Valdes-Scantling is the most proven of the remaining receivers, but beyond that, the Packers’ active roster currently only includes Malik Taylor and Darrius Shepherd, who boast a total of one career catch between them.

Should they choose to do so, the Packers currently have four receivers they can promote from the practice squad. Reggie Begelton and Robert Foster have been in Green Bay the longest, Begelton having spent the offseason and training camp on the Packers roster. The Packers added Caleb Scott and Juwann Winfree to their 16-man practice squad this week.

Of the four practice squad wide receivers, only Foster has caught an NFL pass.