Green Bay Packers safety Xavier McKinney didn’t participate in practice Thursday because of a calf issue that’s been bothering him. He indicated the injury could sideline him the rest of training camp, telling reporters Thursday that he doesn’t expect to play in the preseason but will be ready for Week 1.
“Obviously glad that we caught it when we caught it, so just kind of trying to take it slow and then the build-up, obviously,” McKinney said, according to ESPN. “But I’ll be ready when it’s time to go, for sure.”
McKinney explained that the injury had been “lingering” over time.
“And that’s really all it really was,” he said, per ESPN.
While McKinney is confident he’ll be on the field for the Packers’ regular-season opener against the Detroit Lions on Sept. 7, his absence in camp won’t go unnoticed. He’s an instrumental piece of a Green Bay secondary that’s already down cornerback Nate Hobbs, who underwent surgery to repair a meniscus tear in his knee and is expected to miss the rest of camp. Hobbs, too, is targeting a Week 1 return.
Hobbs was one of the Packers’ biggest free agent acquisitions this offseason. Green Bay signed him to a four-year, $48 million deal in March. After spending four seasons with the Las Vegas Raiders, the University of Illinois product is now a projected starter at outside corner in Green Bay.
McKinney, on the other hand, was a splash free agent addition last year. That’s when the Packers brought him in on a four-year, $67 million contract.
He made good on that deal in 2024, ranking second in the NFL last season with eight interceptions. McKinney, 26, established a leadership role in the back end of a defense coordinated by Jeff Hafley and rounded out the year tied for fourth on the team with 88 total tackles. He led all Packers players last year with 11 passes defended.
McKinney previously played for the New York Giants, who selected him out of Alabama in the second round of the 2020 draft. During his final season with the Giants, McKinney racked up a career-high 116 total tackles. He picked off nine passes in 46 games with the Giants.
After dealing with injuries earlier in his career, McKinney has started 17 games each of the past two seasons.
He still has a chance to do that in 2025 — that is, if he recovers in time from his current calf issue.
