GREEN BAY, Wis. — The Green Bay Packers have placed Sam Barrington on season-ending injured reserve after the starting inside linebacker left the opener against Chicago with a right foot injury.
Defensive end Datone Jones was activated on Tuesday to replace Barrington on the roster. Jones served a one-game suspension for a violation of the league’s substance abuse policy.
Barrington was seen in the locker room this week with a boot on his right foot. His loss is a blow to a defense that struggled last week against the run. Barrington sat out the second half of the 31-23 win over the Bears, when Matt Forte ran for 141 yards and a score on 24 carries.
Nate Palmer, who was moved from outside to inside linebacker this offseason, replaced Barrington. Green Bay faces another tough running back this weekend in Seattle’s Marshawn Lynch.
Barrington made the calls in the Packers’ defense. A seventh-round pick in 2013, Barrington played a key role in shoring up Green Bay’s run defense in the second half of last season.
“The guy who has been kind of the quarterback of your defense, you lose him early,” defensive coordinator Dom Capers said Monday. “Nate went in and did a commendable job.”
Clay Matthews’ move inside at midseason last year also helped against the run. Rookie Jake Ryan, a fourth-round pick out of Michigan, would now be the top backup at inside linebacker.
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