Jordan Love Returns to Practice with the Packers After Thumb Surgery
Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love returned to practice this Monday, just six days after undergoing surgery on his left thumb. Love participated in all activities except for 11-on-11 drills.
At the start of practice, Love had his left thumb bandaged. When it started to rain, he covered his entire non-throwing hand with a plastic bag.
The Packers adapted some drills to protect Love’s thumb. On plays from the “shotgun” formation, he started with the ball in his hand. For plays under center, he picked up the ball from a small stool, avoiding any contact with his thumb.Coach Matt LaFleur even implemented two 7-on-7 periods, something he usually doesn’t do in practice, as he considers it not a realistic exercise without the presence of offensive and defensive linemen. Love completed 16 of 24 passes in these two sessions. Although he was intercepted twice, he demonstrated impeccable precision on a touchdown pass to rookie receiver Matthew Golden.
Malik Willis led all the first-team reps in full-team periods (11-on-11).
Love underwent surgery last Tuesday to repair a ligament in his thumb, an injury he suffered in the first preseason game against the Jets on August 9. He tried to practice two days after the injury, but opted for surgery to be ready for the start of the regular season on September 9 against the Lions.
The Packers have two more training practices this week, including a joint practice with the Seahawks on Thursday, before the final preseason game against Seattle on Saturday.
Despite Love’s return, the Packers had 16 players absent due to injuries. The most recent to join this list were offensive linemen Aaron Banks (back) and Jacob Monk (hamstring), as well as defensive linemen Kenny Clark (back) and Lukas Van Ness (back). Receiver Romeo Doubs returned to practice after suffering a back injury last week.
