On Friday, Green Bay Packers head coach Matt LaFleur was asked directly whether or not projected starting left guard Aaron Banks, who started training camp on the physically unable to perform list with a knee injury but has since been activated to the roster, had surgery this offseason. LaFleur’s response? “I’ll let him answer that.”
Banks, while on the active roster, has only been participating in individual drills for the Packers lately, not team drills, which has led to Jacob Monk and Jager Burton earning some extra playing time with the first-team offense. Banks also didn’t suit up for the team’s preseason opener against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Thursday, with Monk and Burton starting at guard.
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After practice on Sunday, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel‘s Tom Silverstein got to the bottom of the surgery question with Banks. According to Silverstein, Banks did not have surgery, and Banks stated, “Nobody’s more frustrated than I am about not being able to be out there right now.”
Apparently, Banks’ knee injury started during offseason workouts, and he has claimed that he’s dealing with tendinitis “that flared up anytime he does strenuous football movements.”
Per Silverstein’s report, Banks believes he will recover by the start of the regular season, and that surgery is not an option the team has suggested.
In other injury news, tight end Tucker Kraft, who got into team periods for the first time all training camp after returning from an ACL tear, told the press after practice that he believes that he’ll be on a pitch count until about midway through the season.
