Several players were injured against the Indianapolis Colts in the Green Bay Packers’ second preseason game of 2025. The most serious one seemed to be to safety Omar Brown, who was seen leaving the game on a cart with an oxygen mask on.
In his post-game press conference, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said it was “a scary deal,” and that Brown will stay overnight in Indianapolis with a chest contusion. Brown was a featured player on defense until he dropped out, because the team is already dealing with two injuries at the position in starter Xavier McKinney and replacement starter Zayne Anderson.
With both McKinney and Anderson already out and Evan Williams and Javon Bullard being sat in this game, 2024 fifth-round pick Kitan Oladapo and Brown “started” with the second-team defense today. Without Brown, the only safeties in the game for the Packers were Oladapo and undrafted rookie Johnathan Baldwin. Expect the team to sign more bodies at the position this week, just to get through practices.
Beyond Brown, the Packers lost two other young players in running back MarShawn Lloyd and 2025 draft choice defensive end Barryn Sorrell. LaFleur said “we’ll see” about Lloyd’s status, as there’s a belief that he’s “okay” after getting popped on his long wheel route reception versus Indianapolis. Sorrell has a knee injury.
Both of these players are pressure points on the Packers’ roster right now. Lloyd and Chris Brooks got looks over Emanuel Wilson on the second-team offense, even though Wilson was the number two back in Green Bay last year.
Lloyd and Wilson both don’t contribute on special teams, while Brooks does, meaning that the team will likely need to make a decision between Lloyd, a former top-100 pick who has dealt with several injuries in his pro career, or Wilson, a former undrafted player who is going to be a restricted free agent next offseason, if the squad only wants to keep three backs on its 53-man roster.
Meanwhile, Sorrell started on all core-four special teams units against the New York Jets, and might have this week, too, but I haven’t gotten the opportunity to look at the film. On a team coached by Rich Bisaccia, backup defensive ends basically have to be contributors on special teams. With Sorrell now dealing with a knee injury and fellow rookie draft pick Collin Oliver still on the physically unable to perform list, the Packers’ hands could be forced to keep more tight ends and linebackers than they had planned for to make up for the lost bodies at defensive end on special teams.
Keep an eye out for more updates about these players next week, as both Lloyd and Sorrell’s statuses will have ripple effects elsewhere on the roster.
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