The Green Bay Packers are gearing up for their preseason opener against the New York Jets. Unfortunately, they are not going to have one of their best defensive players available to play in the game even if they wanted him to.
Xavier McKinney has been ruled out for the rest of training camp and all three preseason games due to a calf injury.
After signing a big four-year, $67 million contract with the Packers last offseason in NFL free agency, McKinney put together a big first year in the green and gold. He took on a major leadership role and was a dynamic playmaker in the secondary. In order to compete for a Super Bowl, Green Bay will need him healthy.
Following the news of his injury, McKinney spoke out about the situation.
Green Bay Packers’ Xavier McKinney Gets Honest After Big Injury News
As shared by ESPN, McKinney shared his gratefulness for the injury being caught before it got worse. He also offered some comforting words for Packers fans.
“Obviously glad that we caught it when we caught it, so just kind of trying to take it slow and then the build-up, obviously,” McKinney said. “But I’ll be ready when it’s time to go, for sure.”
During the 2024 season with Green Bay, McKinney played in all 17 regular season games. He racked up 88 total tackles to go along with a sack, a fumble recovery, eight interceptions, and 11 defended passes.
Those numbers show just how big of an impact McKinney makes for the defense. Jeff Hafley was spoiled in his debut season as the team’s defensive coordinator by having him patrolling the final layer of his unit.
Hopefully, McKinney will be able to recovery quickly and get back to 100 percent by Week 1 against the Detroit Lions. He sounds confident that he’ll be able to do just that.
