Prior to their Week 4 matchup against the Detroit Lions on Thursday night, the Green Bay Packers made four roster changes. The team acquired linebacker Kristian Welch from the practice squad, moved cornerbacks Corey Ballentine and Kiondre Thomas from the practice squad to the gameday roster, and placed left tackle David Bakhtiari on injured reserve.
At 7:15 p.m. CT, the Packers and Lions play from Lambeau Field. With a 3-1 victory, the victor will take the lead in the NFC North.
The four pre-game actions by the Packers are broken out here, beginning with the terrible news for Bakhtiar and concluding with two backup cornerback options:Another harsh turn in the three years that Bakhtiari has been fighting to recover from a knee injury sustained in December 2020. The All-Pro left tackle will now miss at least the next four games, which means that his earliest possible comeback date is Nov. 5 against the Los Angeles Rams. He missed the previous two games and was declared out for Thursday night. The constant problems with his surgically repaired knee make one question if he will play again this season. Is this the one? Who knows? What is certain is that Rasheed Walker, an offensive lineman in his second season, will be the starting left tackle for the Packers in 2023 and probably beyond.
The Packers signed Welch from the practice squad because they needed a boost on the special teams and De’Vondre Campbell (ankle) was out. Over the previous three seasons, the former Raven appeared in 43 games and logged almost 900 special teams snaps. Welch is a native of Wisconsin, so it’s unlikely that he’ll play defensive plays, but he might establish himself as a key special team player right away. During the course of five special teams phases with the Ravens last season, he played 355 snaps.
Ballentine, who played 18 special teams snaps and 30 defensive snaps for the Packers against the Saints last week, has now been elevated twice in a row. With Carrington Valentine (biceps) and Jaire Alexander (back) both questionable to play against the Lions, he is required at cornerback. Ballentine had a significant pass breakup in the second half of Sunday’s game, while giving up four catches. If Alexander and Valentine can’t play on Thursday night, he’d be the No. 3 cornerback. On Thursday night, Thomas might make his Packers regular season debut. His promotion is a reflection of Jaire Alexander’s and Carrington Valentine’s erratic performances on Thursday night. Should both be sidelined, Thomas would be the fourth-best cornerback. He’ll probably be called upon to play special teams in either case. This season, this is his first promotion from the practice squad.
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