Green Bay Packers cornerback Jaire Alexander was sidelined with a knee injury during Sunday's win over the Chicago Bears. It was questionable whether he would play on Sunday and he clearly wasn't 100 percent ready to start the contest. He left the game just before halftime and was ultimately ruled out for the remainder of the game at the start of the third quarter.
Here are the latest updates on the Packers' injured cornerback:
Update on Jaire Alexander's injury
Alexander first injured his knee in the fourth quarter of the Packers' Week 8 win over the Jacksonville Jaguars. He then missed the Packers' Week 9 loss to the Detroit Lions, but returned to practice after the bye, participating in limited workouts on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
While he was active on Sunday after practicing before the game, Alexander played only a handful of snaps in the first half before exiting.
Accordingly Alexander did not suffer any serious injury and is only dealing with a lingering knee injury. According to Rapoport, he will be “fine,” but this update casts short-term doubt on his recovery timeline.
How long will Alexander be out?
It is unclear at this point. Rapoport's update rules out a significant, long-term absence, but it could be difficult for Alexander to return in time for next Sunday's game against the San Francisco 49ers. Considering Alexander first suffered the injury on October 27th and is still dealing with the effects as of November 17th, it's safe to say this could be a multi-week injury problem for the Packers.
When will we know more?
coach Matt LaFleur holds a postgame press conference in Green Bay on Monday. It is possible that an update will arrive then. If not, the Packers will not practice or release an injury report in Week 12 until Wednesday.
Packers cornerback depth chart
Without Alexander on Sunday, the Packers relied on Keisean Nixon, Carrington Valentine and even Eric Stokes at the two outside cornerback positions. Nixon and Valentine both had difficult moments in coverage against Caleb Williams and the Bears' talented group of receivers. The Packers clearly like Nixon on the outside with rookie Javon Bullard in the slot, allowing the secondary to move Evan Williams at safety alongside Xavier McKinney. If Alexander misses more time, expect Nixon to be at cornerback, facing either Valentine or Stokes at cornerback. Alexander appears to be increasingly unreliable in terms of availability, making cornerback a potentially fatal mistake as the postseason approaches.
