GREEN BAY, Wis. - The Green Bay Packers placed running back Chris Brooks on injured reserve on Saturday. It was the only roster move of the day in advance of Sunday's home game against the Chicago Bears.
Sometimes, the roster moves that weren't made are just as interesting as the transactions that were made. Here's our weekly look.
For the fourth consecutive game, the Packers did not elevate anyone from the practice squad.
That means Mekhi Becton's Packers debut will have to wait another week.
With left guard Aaron Banks (knee/toe) and right guard Jacob Monk (quad) doubtful and Jager Burton questionable after dealing with back spasms this week, the door seemed to be open for Becton to be added to the gameday roster.
Instead, Green Bay figures to go with Jordan Morgan, Laken Tomlinson, Sean Rhyan, Kevin Zeitler and Anthony Belton as the starters and some combination of Burton, Travis Glover, Donovan Jennings and John Williams as the three or four backups.
The big question will be at right guard. Will the Packers go with Glover, who performed well in his first NFL start last week at Tampa Bay, or Zeitler, the veteran who was signed to bring vital stability to a porous line.
"Feels much better than last week," Zeitler said on Friday. "Any time you get into a situation like, every rep, every day, just helps more and more, so a lot of improvement over one week."
Whether he starts or not, Glover has made the team rethink his long-term viability after sitting out last season with a shoulder injury and not really getting a chance to compete for a starting job during training camp this year.
Becton has been working on the right side at guard and tackle. That's where Glover has been locked in, going all the way back to training camp, when his reps were split between right guard and right tackle.
Glover's solid performance against the Bucs probably is part of the team's thinking with Becton, who is getting ramped up after not being with a team during training camp.
"The last couple weeks he had been practicing really well, so Coach Butkus came into my office last week and said 'Hey, let's give Glover a shot,'" offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich explained on Tuesday. "I thought he did a nice job. He competed hard. There were some plays I'm sure he'd like to get back. He had a penalty but, other than that, played hard, did a nice job in protection. He's a physical player, so it was good to have him out there, and I'm glad he was able to step up for us."
This decision isn't a surprise.
Brooks got the start last week against the Bucs but his day ended in the first half with an ankle injury. On Thursday, the team promoted running back Pierre Strong from the practice squad. Had Brooks been dealing with a week-to-week injury, the Packers could have elevated Strong from the practice squad for a week or two and used the vacant spot for someone else, such as receiver Savion Williams, who returned to practice this week after opening the season on injured reserve.
Instead, Strong will get an extended look with Brooks to be sidelined for at least the next four weeks.
"We'll leave that with the coaches," Strong said of his role . "We all good backs. We all great backs. We all can take one to the house any given day. So, I'm just going to leave that to the coaches. Whenever my number's called, I'm going to be ready."
Brooks will be a key loss. He's carried 15 times for 70 yards, highlighted by a 27-yarder last week, and added three receptions for 24 yards. His reliability as a pass protector can't be replaced by any of the backs on the roster. Plus, he tied for the team lead with 14 tackles on special teams last year.
"I think MarShawn's done a nice job when he's been in there. Kaleb obviously will get more opportunities in those situations," offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said of MarShawn Lloyd and Kaleb Johnson. "Chris is important, not only in that role but also on special teams and everything that he does for our team. He's a good leader, hard-nosed guy, so we'll see where he's at this week and then see what happens."
The Bears announced that they activated linebacker Noah Sewell from injured reserve. Two others who had been designated for return and practiced all week, slot Kyler Gordon (calf) and defensive tackle Shemar Turner (knee) were not activated and downgraded to out.
Sewell had a career-high 54 tackles for the Bears last season, when he started nine games. He had one tackle in each of last year's regular-season games against Green Bay. His role will be to bolster the special teams, which will have to contend with Skyy Moore.
Gordon has played in 45 games with 35 starts in his career. He has five interceptions and 10 tackles for losses. He had two breakups in the Bears' playoff victory over Green Bay. Turner was a second-round pick last year. He had six tackles, including two TFLs, in five games as a rookie. He did not play in any of the games against Green Bay.
The Bears also elevated running back Zavier Scott from the practice squad. With Kyle Monangai out with a toe injury, he will provide depth behind Sunday's one-two punch of D'Andre Swift and Roschon Johnson.
Scott entered the NFL as an undrafted free agent in 2023. Last year with the Vikings, he carried 32 times for 114 yards and caught 14 passes for 98 yards.
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This article was originally published on www.si.com/nfl/packers/onsi as Saturday's Packers Roster Moves: What They Mean for Sunday vs. Bears .
