The Packers won their preseason opener against the Eagles, 24-9, but it was far from pretty, especially for the training and medical staff, who were busy with countless injuries.
Five players left with injuries, most notably cornerback Damarious Randall. The third-year player suffered a concussion on the first defensive series. He was smacked by Eagles' receiver Bryce Treggs on a crack-back block and struggled to regain his balance before being helped off the field.
After a promising rookie year in 2015, Randall struggled badly last season, allowing 10 touchdowns and a passer rating of 113.4 on nearly 600 snaps. He missed six games due to injury.
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“Not to make excuses, but obviously it was the injuries,” Randall said in May. “I mean, I didn’t want to tackle nobody. Because I was afraid to tweak it, pull it, hurt it again. But we were low on numbers, so I had to do what I had to do to play in the games.”
Later, No. 2 free safety Kentrell Brice left with a finger injury — though it did not appear serious — and backup center Don Barclay was lost to an ankle injury. The team did not give updates on either player beyond the initial diagnosis.
Here's the hit on Malachi Dupre: pic.twitter.com/agGRO5LNaA
— Zach Kruse (@zachkruse2) August 11, 2017
The fourth player to go down was rookie receiver Malachi Dupre. The seventh-round pick was demolished by Eagles' rookie safety Tre Sullivan on a helmet-to-helmet hit. Dupre's body immediately tightened and he laid motionless on the field for a significant period of time.
After a long delay, he was taken off the field on a stretcher and immediately to a hospital, where everything appeared to be going well. He took to Twitter late in the evening to thank everyone for prayers and say he's OK.
"All the information coming back is positive," head coach Mike McCarthy said after the game. "Still in the hospital going through a series of tests."
The fifth and final player to leave with an injury was corner Raysean Pringle, an undrafted corner from Southern Utah. He was being evaluated for a concussion after a hard hit to the head on punt coverage.
Expected return dates have not been determined for any of the five players. The Packers return to the field on Satuday, Aug. 19, at Washington.
