Cheesehead
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- Mar 19, 2019
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GREEN BAY – Raven Greene didn’t know whether he’d get a chance to put his No. 24 jersey on again this season after an ankle injury landed the Packers’ second-year safety on injured reserve back in September.
However, that’s now a reality for Greene thanks to Green Bay’s 13-3 record earning the team a No. 2 seed in the NFC playoffs. On Thursday, the Packers officially used the second of their two available designations to activate Greene off IR.
The 5-foot-11, 197-pound defensive back said he started running, cutting and doing actual football movements a couple weeks ago, and is hoping participate in Green Bay’s playoff run.
“It was a process, obviously,” Greene said. “The training staff and everybody showed a lot of support for me, so I’m just glad to be in this position, with a chance to come back and just help contribute quite possibly.”
Greene showed a lot of promise as an undrafted rookie out of James Madison last year, playing in eight games before injuring his ankle for the first time in Seattle last November. Cleared in time for the offseason program, he slid right in as the hybrid safety in the Packers’ nickel sub-package, holding that job from the start of organized team activities all the way until the regular-season opener against Chicago.
Greene played well in the opener against the Bears, registering seven tackles and a pass deflection in 55 defensive snaps. However, he suffered another ankle injury the following week against Minnesota that caused him to revert back to IR.
Greene said his latest injury was “three different injuries in one,” with one being similar to the deltoid tear that ended his rookie season. While it was frustrating to go through the rehab process again, Greene felt it was a bit easier the second time around.
Head Coach Matt LaFleur said Greene could “potentially” return for the Packers’ divisional playoff game but that depends on how he looks in practice this next week. Green Bay has a spot open on its 53-man roster after cornerback Tony Brown was released last Saturday.