In a surprising turn of events, Green Bay Packers edge rusher Kingsley Enagbare was practicing with the team for the start of OTAs on Tuesday. Enagbare suffered what was initially believed to be a significant knee injury during the Packers’ win over the Dallas Cowboys in the NFC Wild Card Round, but it was later confirmed not to be that serious.
Here’s a video of Enagbare participating in a drill:
Kingsley Enagbare is practicing. Remarkable. pic.twitter.com/cBNQj706Yx
— Andy Herman (@AndyHermanNFL) May 21, 2024
After sustaining the injury, Enagbare told USA Today’s Ryan Wood that he thought he sustained a bone bruise and tried to play through it. He was later told he had torn his ACL.
However, following the 2024 NFL Draft, Matt LaFleur clarified it was never confirmed that Enagbare suffered an ACL injury. Lafleur gave a promising outlook on Enagbare’s recovery and said that the 24-year-old edge rusher never had surgery.
“He looks pretty good right now. He’s still fighting his way back,” LaFleur said. “It was never confirmed it was an ACL. He did not have surgery. He’s still rehabbing through it, and we’re still optimistic about it.”
Clearly, rehab is going well.
We still don’t know the exact injury, but it is a great sign that Enagbare is already back on the field participating in drills.
At this rate, the 2021 fifth-round pick appears to be on track to play in the season opener. September 6 is still a long way off, but the team must feel good about Enagbare’s availability after Green Bay did not take a single edge rusher in this year’s draft.
After totaling 68 tackles, 13 tackles for loss, five sacks, and a forced fumble over the last two seasons, Enagbare projects to be the No. 4 edge rusher on the depth chart.
