Jaire Alexander in, AJ Dillon out for the Packers vs 49ers

Of the 53 active players on the Green Bay Packers roster, just two will not be available to play against the San Francisco 49ers on Saturday because of injuries: running back AJ Dillon and edge defender Kingsley Enagbare. That means cornerback Jaire Alexander, linebacker Isaiah McDuffie, and punter Daniel Whelan, who were questionable to play, […]

Wendell Ferreira — NFL News Writer

Jan 20, 2024 6:51 PM EST

That means cornerback Jaire Alexander, linebacker Isaiah McDuffie, and punter Daniel Whelan, who were questionable to play, are active and good to go.

The good

The biggest question mark for the Packers was star cornerback Jaire Alexander, and he will be available. In spite of leaving the Dallas Cowboys early with the ankle injury that made him a gametime decision last week and not practicing throughout this week, Jaire is officially active and good to go.

It's decisive news for the Packers, since he was extremely important against the Cowboys with an interception on Dak Prescott. Moreover, the roster lacks cornerback depth — without Jaire, Corey Ballentine would be forced into the starting lineup.

Off-ball linebacker Isaiah McDuffie was questionable with a neck injury, but he's also good to go. He's played well this season — sometimes, better than starters Quay Walker and De'Vondre Campbell. McDuffie is a particularly relevant piece in this game, because the 49ers tend to use heavier personnel.

The bad

Running back AJ Dillon will miss his third consecutive game, after also sitting out against the Chicago Bears in week 18 and Dallas Cowboys in the wild-card round. Without him, Aaron Jones should have a big workload once again, because the depth behind him is not ideal — rookie Emanuel Wilson and veteran Patrick Taylor haven't been effective running the ball, and the difference when Jones isn't on the field has been sensible.

Punter Daniel Whelan was officially questionable to play with an illness, but Packers head coach Matt LaFleur had already indicated on Thursday that the Irish player would most likely be good to go. And he is active. The team even signed veteran Pat O'Donnell to the practice squad, but he wasn't elevated.

As expected, edge defender Kingsley Enagbare is out. He tore his ACL against the Dallas Cowboys and is not only out for the remainder of this season, but also will probably miss a significant part of next year as well. The team elevated rookie Keshawn Banks for gameday.

The Packers have Rashan Gary, Preston Smith, and Lukas Van Ness as available edge rushers on the active roster.