Green Bay Packers safety Atari Bigby, cornerback Al Harris and running back James Starks failed their physicals on Friday and will start training camp on the physically unable to perform list.
Harris, who is recovering from a devastating knee injury, was expected to start training camp on the PUP list. Bigby, and to a lesser extent, Starks going on the PUP list comes as a surprise.
Bigby, who didn’t participate in the Packers offseason activities while awaiting a long-term contract offer that never came, had problems with his ankle during his physical. It makes you wonder exactly what he’s been doing this offseason and puts his somewhat tenuous hold on the starting strong safety spot even more in jeopardy.
Rookie Morgan Burnett, a third-round pick from Georgia Tech, will open training camp with the No. 1 defense.
Starks, a sixth-round pick from Buffalo, missed all of the 2009 season with a shoulder injury, but is reportedly having problems with his hamstring now.
Starks was expected to push Brandon Jackson as the Packers third-down back, but that isn’t likely to happen unless he gets on the field soon.
One positive surprise was safety and return man Will Blackmon, who was expected to open training camp on the PUP list after tearing his ACL last season. Blackmon apparently passed his physical and is ready to go.
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