Packers Running Back Makes Surprise Return to Practice

The Green Bay Packers appear to have avoided a major catastrophe. Running back Aaron Jones was participating at Wednesday's practice despite suffering an ankle injury in the team's Week 9 15-9 loss to the Detroit Lions.

Packers practice report:

🏈Aaron Jones, Christian Watson returned after not finished the game.

👎Aaron Rodgers not here.

🩼Sammy Watkins, Eric Stokes, Shemar Jean-Charles, Krys Barnes, Rashan Gary, De’Vondre Campbell, David Bakhtiari, Elgton Jenkins, Romeo Doubs also DNP
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) November 9, 2022

The news comes as a huge relief to the Packers organization, as Jones was spotted in a walking boot following Sunday's game. The running back has been arguably the offense's lone bright spot in what has been a dismal year; despite Jones' 810 yards from scrimmage and impressive 5.6 yards per rush, the Packers rank 27th in scoring this year due in large part to the struggles of their Aaron Rodgers-led passing attack.

Should Jones be limited this week or even miss Sunday's matchup with the Dallas Cowboys entirely, the Packers will likely lean harder on third-year back A.J. Dillon. Dillon has proven a capable, punishing compliment to Jones over his 37 appearances, rushing for 1434 yards at a dependable 4.3 yards per attempt.

Jones initially joined the Packers as their 182nd overall pick in the 2017 NFL Draft. He quickly established himself as one of the league's most efficient runners and receivers out of the backfield; the one-time Pro Bowler has totalled a solid 82.4 yards from scrimmage at 5.1 yards per rush and 5.7 yards per target over his 78 appearances with the team.