Packers finally bring WR Allen Lazard back from injured reserve in time for week 11

After much waiting, the Green Bay Packers finally made a move that fans have been expecting for some time. Wide receiver Allen Lazard is back, as the team announced he has been reactivated from injured reserve on Tuesday.

Lazard was placed on the injured reserve list following the Packers’ week three game against the New Orleans Saints, a 37-30 victory for Green Bay. Lazard was one of the stars of that contest, catching six of eight targets for 146 yards and a touchdown with Davante Adams inactive. However, a core injury landed Lazard on the shelf days later, and he has missed each of the Packers next six games.

The third-year receiver was designated for return on October 28th, allowing him to start practicing in time for the Packers’ week eight contest against the Minnesota Vikings. With that clock beginning, the team had until Wednesday to activate him back to the active roster or else he would have by rule been shut down for the remainder of the season.

In the Packers’ first three games, Lazard was on the field for 88 percent of the team’s offensive snaps, many of them coming with him aligned in the slot. He totaled 13 receptions on 17 targets for 254 yards and a pair of scores over that period. With 11 of those catches going for first downs, he still holds the best receiving DVOA value (which measures per-target efficiency) of any wideout in the NFL with at least seven targets.

The Packers did not have to make a move to make room for Lazard, as the team still had a pair of open spots on the active roster. Running back AJ Dillon and linebacker Krys Barnes remain on the reserve/COVID-19 list, and the team will need to open a spot if and when the two of them are ready to return.