GREEN BAY, Wis. — It was no surprise that Bryan Bulaga was placed on the physically unable to perform list to start training camp, given that he ripped up his knee late last season.
But it came as both a shock and a boost to the Green Bay Packers that coach Mike McCarthy said before Thursday’s first training camp practice that his starting right tackle should be ready for the regular-season opener.
Bulaga tore the ACL in his right knee on Nov. 6 against the Detroit Lions and missed the entire offseason program. He suffered the same injury to his left knee early in the 2013 training camp and missed that entire season.
Bulaga and outside linebacker Nick Perry (ankle) were the only two players the Packers played on PUP after players took their physicals on Wednesday.
“I don’t think there’s any threat that they’ll be ready for the season,” McCarthy said. “This is clearly a medical decision. There’s timelines and things you look at history-wise, with particular injuries. I think it’s more in tune with that. But I know both guys are champing to get out there in the full mode.”
McCarthy said Bulaga has been ahead of schedule throughout his rehab process.
“You obviously had a similar injury before and very much in tune with the time frame there, but he looks great,” McCarthy said. “I think Bryan has been here the whole summer except for maybe one day, two days. I know that he was in here every day that I was in here. So, same with Nick. This is more of a Dr. [Pat] McKenzie-type decision and I think he’s got to also look into history and obviously where they are in their career.”
That’s good news for quarterback Aaron Rodgers, who is returning from a broken collarbone that interrupted his 2017 season.
The Packers’ top two backup tackles, Kyle Murphy and Jason Spriggs, also finished last season on injured reserve with foot and knee injuries, respectively. The Packers signed a veteran tackle, Byron Bell, late in the offseason as insurance against Bulaga’s return. That trio likely will share time at right tackle between now and the Sept. 9 opener against the Bears.
First-year general manager Brian Gutekunst drafted only one offensive lineman, tackle Cole Madison in the fifth round. But the Packers plan to play Madison at guard. However, he did not report for the start of training camp due to what McCarthy termed a “personal issue” and was played on the reserve/did not report list.
“That kind of took us by surprise Tuesday and Wednesday, and really I think in respect to Cole I’m going to just leave it at that,” McCarthy said. “This is a personal situation, and I do not have any timeline for you [for a return].”
The only other player who won’t be on the field as expected is first-year receiver Michael Clark, a 6-foot-6 former college basketball player who made his NFL debut late last season after a practice squad promotion. He told the Packers earlier this month that he decided not to continue his football career.
“It did surprise me,” McCarthy said. “I think Mike was a young, talented football player. Still had a lot of things in front of him. But just like everything in life and in business, there’s a personal side to this. He contacted the organization. It’s been a couple weeks. I want to say I talked to Mike I think it was two weeks ago.”