Pack won’t put Love on IR; will start Willis at QB

GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Green Bay Packers do not plan to put quarterback Jordan Love on injured reserve, which means they think the recovery from his left knee injury will be on the shorter end of the timeline. In the meantime, they will prepare the recently acquired Malik Willis to be their starting quarterback on Sunday against the Indianapolis Colts.

Green Bay traded a seventh-round draft pick to the Tennessee Titans for Willis the day before final roster cuts last month. If he starts Sunday’s home opener at Lambeau Field, he will do so just 20 days after he joined the Packers.

Willis served as the backup in Friday’s season-opening loss to the Philadelphia Eagles in Brazil and took the final two snaps — an incompletion and a sack — after Love sustained a sprained MCL in his left knee with 6 seconds left in the 34-29 loss.

The only other quarterback currently with the team is Sean Clifford, who served as Love’s backup last season but is now on the practice squad. The Packers can use a game-day elevation to activate Clifford for the game without adding him to the 53-man roster.

“Yeah, if Jordan’s not cleared, then we’ll start Malik and Sean will be the backup,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said Monday.

“Why Malik over Sean? Because Malik’s on the roster and he’s our No. 2 quarterback and that’s the way we’re going to roll.”

LaFleur also said the Packers have no plans to sign a veteran quarterback from the outside.

Willis has made three career NFL starts — all in 2022 as a rookie third-round pick — and the Titans went 1-2 in those games. In the lone victory, which came over the Houston Texans, Willis threw just 10 passes, completing six for 55 yards with no touchdowns and an interception. Both of the Titans’ touchdowns in the 17-10 win came from running back Derrick Henry.

In his three starts in 2022, he completed 25 of 49 passes for 234 yards with no touchdowns and three interceptions. He did not reach the 100-yard passing mark in any of those games. He rushed 20 times for 95 yards and a touchdown in his three starts combined.

“I think he’s put a lot of time and effort into this thing,” LaFleur said of Willis’ approach since he joined the team. “He’s grinded, he’s learned the terminology and is able to spit out the playcalls, and we’ve got confidence in him. I think if he’s given a full week of preparation, a full week of practice, I’ve got confidence he’ll go out there and perform at a high level.”

While LaFleur didn’t technically rule Love out for this week, it’s unlikely Love would be ready to go against the Colts. ESPN’s Adam Schefter reported Saturday that the timeline for Love’s return is in the three-to-four week range. After facing the Colts, the Packers play at Willis’ old team in Tennessee and host the Minnesota Vikings on Sept. 29. If Love misses all of those games, then perhaps he could return for the Oct. 6 game at the Los Angeles Rams. Players who go on injured reserve have to miss four games.

“If he gets cleared, we’ll give him every opportunity like we always will,” LaFleur said. “I know he’s doing everything in his power. I know he’s spending a lot of time trying to get back as soon as possible. But certainly we’re not going to put him in a position where if he can’t protect himself that he’d go out there.”

Love’s injury came in his first regular-season appearance after he signed his four-year, $220 million contract extension early in training camp. He did not speak to reporters after the game in Brazil, and players have been off since the team returned from that game on Saturday.

“We will never put him in a position to mortgage the short term for the future,” LaFleur said. “You know what I’m saying? If he can’t protect himself, we would never do that to him or our football team.”