GREEN BAY -- Two players for the Packers have been placed on the physically unable to perform list (PUP) and won't be practicing as training camp opens on Thursday.
Rookie LB Vince Biegel, a fourth-round draft pick out of Wisconsin, and CB Demetri Goodson will be out of action until further notice.
Biegel is recovering from offseason foot surgery while Goodson tore an ACL in his knee during the 2016 season.
"Both of those guys have been here every day that I've been here. They're making progress," Head Coach Mike McCarthy said before Thursday morning's opening practice.
McCarthy added that Biegel would likely be out a couple of weeks, while there was no timeline on Goodson.
The good news on the injury front is that C Corey Linsley, who missed all of OTAs and minicamp due to offseason ankle surgery, is not starting on PUP and has been cleared to practice.
"It's great to have Corey back," McCarthy said. "He looks great. I know he's champing at the bit to get out there."
The first two practices on Thursday and Friday will be without pads, per CBA rules, and McCarthy emphasized the goal for the first two workouts is for everyone, particularly the young players, to make the transition from OTAs to training camp in terms of the intensity and effort involved in the workouts.
"If we get the practice structure in place and get the operation going at a high level, everything else will fall into place after that," McCarthy said.
"We have to practice the right way. There's a standard for how you practice, and it's clearly different from OTAs. It's a lot more physical, a lot more energy spent in these practices, and that's what I'm looking for, particularly from the younger players."
As for a theme for 2017, McCarthy said he doesn't present that to the team anymore until Week 1 of the regular season. The focus now is on the work, as throngs of fans filled the Ray Nitschke Field stands and watched the players ride the kids' bikes to practice.
"It's an incredible atmosphere," McCarthy said. "The players feel good. This is the best their bodies will feel for the next seven months. There's a lot of enthusiasm, and it's a credit to our fans for the environment they create for us."
