Packers QB Jordan Love expects to wear brace on surgically repaired left thumb for start of season

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Green Bay Packers quarterback Jordan Love says he expects to wear a brace on his surgically repaired left thumb at the start of the season.

Love underwent surgery on the thumb on his non-throwing hand more than two weeks ago. Love was a limited participant last week for the Packers’ final training camp workouts, but he’s been practicing more fully this week and plans to play in Green Bay’s Sept. 7 season opener against the Detroit Lions.

“It’ll be some weeks having to brace it up and just keep it protected,” Love said Thursday. “It’s one of those things, we’ll play it by ear, as I start getting into games and seeing how it feels, as you get back to live contact. But there will be some time having that brace still.”

One change is that Love has been handing off exclusively with his right hand. Love said that’s “not as big of a deal as I think you guys think it might be.”

“It’s definitely been beneficial just to get (him) back in the flow of practicing, competing, making sure that his fundamentals are crisp,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “Because when they are, I think he’s as good as anybody.”

Love says he otherwise doesn’t expect the thumb to impact him.

“I’m going to go in with the mindset to just play it how I would play it if I wasn’t dealing with the thumb injury,” Love said.

One other concern facing Love as the season approaches is the lack of work he’s had with many of Green Bay’s receivers. Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks just returned to practice this week after missing much of training camp.

“You always wish that you could just pick up where you left off, but it’s one of those things that I definitely think it will take a little bit of time to get back in that rhythm, and it’s to be expected,” Love said.

“Similar to like coming back for training camp, it’s going to take us a few days to get back into that rhythm and get back in that flow. But I think those guys are pros, they know what they need to do. This isn’t their first year, so I don’t think it’ll be an issue for them.”

Savion Williams, a rookie third-round pick, remains out as he deals with a hamstring injury. Green Bay also will be opening the season without Christian Watson as he makes his comeback after tearing his anterior cruciate ligament in the Packers’ 2024 regular-season finale.

NOTES: The Packers signed QB Clayton Tune, OT Dalton Cooper and TE Josh Whyle to their practice squad. Tune appeared in 13 games with the Arizona Cardinals the past two seasons and made one start, a 27-0 loss at Cleveland in 2023. The Cardinals cut Tune earlier in the week. Whyle had 28 catches for 248 yards and a touchdown with the Tennessee Titans last season.

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