GREEN BAY — Although most of his players had completed their physicals by the time Mike McCarthy stepped to the podium Thursday morning, the Green Bay Packers coach couldn't definitively say which of his players would be cleared for Friday morning's training camp-opening practice.
Thus, it was unclear as of Thursday afternoon whether a number of players — including 2011 first-round draft pick Derek Sherrod, who hasn't played or practiced since breaking his leg on Dec. 18, 2011 at Kansas City — would start camp on the physically unable to perform list.
"They are just about done with them as far as right before I came in here. They have a couple tests they have to do," McCarthy said. "There's testing going on now in the Hutson Center. I probably won't have the final medical report until late this afternoon."
If a player fails his physical or pre-camp conditioning test, he opens on the camp PUP list. That player can be activated and begin practicing at any point during camp, but it makes them eligible for the regular-season PUP list, where they can spend the first part of the season but can be activated during a window later in the year.
Both Sherrod and tight end Andrew Quarless, for example, opened the regular season on the PUP list after not practicing in training camp; Sherrod was never activated while Quarless was but never played in a game.
Asked if Sherrod, running back DuJuan Harris, who had a cyst removed from his lung in June, or defensive end Jerel Worthy, who suffered a torn anterior cruciate ligament in his knee in the regular-season finale, would start on PUP, McCarthy would only say that "Today's exam will be big for all those guys."
Other players who may not be cleared for Friday's practice are rookie seventh-round wide receivers Kevin Dorsey and Charles Johnson, who missed most of the offseason practices with undisclosed injuries; safety Sean Richardson (neck); and cornerback Davon House (shoulder).
Jason Wilde wrote: