Packers bring back tackle Veldheer
GREEN BAY - More than likely, the Green Bay Packers decided to sign veteran tackle Jared Veldheer as insurance should Rick Wagner's ailing knees keep him out of their divisional round playoff game Saturday against the Los Angeles Rams.
But the team's signing of the 33-yearold Veldheer off the Indianapolis Colts' practice squad could offer other options if coach Matt LaFleur is thinking he needs help blocking unanimous All-Pro defensive tackle Aaron Donald.
Wagner has been battling injuries to both knees, the latest to his left knee when he got rolled up on from behind in the Week 17 game against the Chicago Bears. The 31-year-old Wagner gutted it out and played all 46 snaps, but it's possible his status is in doubt against the Rams.
Even with a bye week, Wagner's injury may not have responded to treatment and they may not feel as though he can function well enough to start.
If that were the case, the Packers didn't really have a backup option after losing starting left tackle David Bakhtiari
to a torn ACL prior to the Tennessee game.
If Wagner is able to play, the Packers would still want someone ready in case his knee doesn't hold up. A less likely scenario with Veldheer, but one LaFleur could consider if Wagner is healthy enough to play, is to start Veldheer at left tackle and move Billy Turner back to right guard.
That would give him his three best linemen — Elgton Jenkins, Corey Linsley and Turner — in the middle to deal with Donald.
Veldheer started at left tackle for the Colts in their playoff loss Saturday at Buffalo and played some left tackle for the Arizona Cardinals in 2017.
But he's better suited for right tackle and might have some issues on the left side blocking Rams outside linebacker Leonard Floyd, who had two sacks Saturday against the Seahawks.
Before being signed to the Colts' practice squad and brought up just for the playoff game, Veldheer had not played a snap of football since starting for the Packers in their divisional playoff victory against the Seattle Seahawks a year ago.
Veldheer came out of retirement to play for the Packers in late November and filled in when right tackle Bryan Bulaga suffered a concussion in a Week 17 game against Detroit and again against the Seahawks when Bulaga fell ill before the game.
Quarterback quandary
Rams coach Sean McVay is not showing his hand as to which quarterback he will start against the Packers, at least until the Rams start practicing Tuesday.
McVay wants to see how John Wolford (stinger) and Goff (broken thumb) handle practice reps this week before making his decision.
Wolford started against Seattle but took a blow to the head and was unable to continue. In came Goff, who two weeks prior had pins placed in his broken thumb and wasn't expected to play against the Seahawks.
Goff wasn't great — he completed 9 of 19 passes for 155 yards and a touchdown — but the Rams' offense did enough to win.
“I'm going to take it a day at a time,” McVay said. “It affected him (Saturday). It might not have been painful, but it was something that — he did a great job battling and being ready to go.”
McVay said he expected Donald, who exited in the third quarter with a rib injury, to play Saturday.
McVay said receiver Cooper Kupp was suffering from knee bursitis and was hoping the inflammation would go down enough that he could play.