Jager Burton practices in limited return as Packers monitor back spasms

Green Bay’s injury report on Thursday brought at least one positive movement for the Packers, as offensive lineman Jager Burton returned to practice participation after being sidelined earlier this week. According to Packers head coach Matt LaFleur, Burton is dealing with back spasms, and his status changed from a non-participant in Wednesday’s practice to a limited participant on Thursday.

The limited designation matters because it indicates Burton is close enough to do some work with the team, but still not cleared to practice at full speed. In the NFL, the distinction between not practicing, practicing limited, and practicing fully is often the clearest day-to-day indicator of whether symptoms are stabilizing or still unpredictable. For an offensive lineman, back issues can affect leverage and footwork, so the team’s cautious ramp-up typically reflects both timing and mechanics.

Alongside Burton’s improvement, Thursday’s availability update also included progress on the defensive side. The same report noted that linebacker Micah Parsons began running at practice, even though his 21-day practice window had not opened yet. That phrasing indicates the team is working through an orderly recovery process, with the ability to do certain activities starting before full practice participation is permitted.

Parsons’ development is the kind of mid-week report coaching staffs use to calibrate both workload and expectations. Starting to run suggests more than rest, but the fact that the formal practice window is still closed suggests he is not yet at the point where the team is ready to treat him as a full participant. The Packers will likely continue using limited participation and controlled movement drills to reduce risk as recovery progresses.

Burton, meanwhile, was described as the only player whose practice status changed on Thursday. That detail is useful in a weekly injury context because it suggests the team’s other key availability questions remained the same from Wednesday to Thursday. When one player moves up while others hold steady, it can narrow the list of uncertainties that coaches must solve on the field.

With the Packers managing two different recovery timelines, the immediate focus for coaches becomes whether Burton can sustain limited work without setbacks and whether Parsons’ running progression can continue before the practice window opens. If both tracks move forward, Green Bay’s weekly preparation becomes more normal, even if neither player is automatically a full go immediately.

For fans, the next check point is straightforward: watch how Burton’s participation evolves over the next injury-report cycle and whether Parsons transitions from running to a broader set of practice activities once the team’s specified window begins. Until then, the reported language keeps the emphasis on gradual readiness rather than a sudden return.