Packers list Jaire Alexander and AJ Dillon as questionable to play vs 49ers

The Green Bay Packers have two big question marks ahead of the divisional round. On Thursday, the team listed cornerback Jaire Alexander and running back AJ Dillon as questionable to play against the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday night. As expected, edge defender Kingsley Enagbare is ruled out after suffering a torn ACL against the […]

Wendell Ferreira NFL News Writer
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Jaire Alexander
Mark Hoffman / Milwaukee Journal Sentinel-USA TODAY NETWORK

The Green Bay Packers have two big question marks ahead of the divisional round. On Thursday, the team listed cornerback Jaire Alexander and running back AJ Dillon as questionable to play against the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday night. As expected, edge defender Kingsley Enagbare is ruled out after suffering a torn ACL against the Dallas Cowboys last Sunday.

Linebacker Isaiah McDuffie, with a neck injury, is questionable too. The other player listed as questionable is punter Daniel Whelan, with an illness. Head coach Matt LaFleur said kicker Anders Carlson is the emergency punter, but Whelan is expected to be available.

It was a different Thursday for the Packers. As the game will be played on Saturday, the Packers adjusted their weekly schedule, which included a final practice on Thursday, with the release of the final injury report. The team will travel to California on Friday.

Day off, again

On Wednesday, head coach Matt LaFleur had said the team was hopeful Jaire Alexander would participate on Thursday, where the roster would go through "more real reps." However, the cornerback wasn't able to go.

"It's just where he's at right now", LaFleur said after practice. "Hopefully he will be ready to go."

The good piece of news is that defensive coordinator Joe Barry seemed more confident about his top cornerback and his ankle injury.

"He's a little bit further ahead this week than obviously he was last week," Barry said.

Alexander was a true gameday decision against the Cowboys, but ended up playing. He made a big-time interception against Dak Prescott, but left the game early in the second half.

Beyond Alexander, the Packers have Carrington Valentine, Corey Ballentine, Keisean Nixon, and Robert Rochell at cornerback on the 53-man roster. David Long is on the practice squad and was elevated for the Cowboys game, even though he ended up inactive. The practice squad also has Zyon Gilbert and Anthony Johnson.

More activity

There were good signs regarding running back AJ Dillon. In the part of the practice open to the media, the offensive player was stretching with the rest of the roster. It's a positive development for a player who missed the last two games, against the Chicago Bears and Dallas Cowboys, because of a stinger.

Dillon's presence is massive for the Packers, because they have had to overload Aaron Jones. Emanuel Wilson and Patrick Taylor are on the roster as well, but they haven't been as effective when given opportunities.

Depth

The Packers will be without Kingsley Enagbare for the rest of this postseason, and most likely to start the next regular season as well. With that, Rashan Gary, Preston Smith, and Lukas Van Ness might see an increased number of snaps.

The team also has undrafted rookie Brenton Cox Jr. on the 53-man roster, but he was active for only four games in the regular season. The team also has Keshawn Banks and Arron Mosby on the practice squad — in addition to Kenneth Odumegwu, a Nigerian player signed through the International Pathway Program.