Packers OT Bulaga ruled out for Sunday's game with Seattle due to knee injury
GREEN BAY -- The Green Bay Packers are quickly having to adjust to not having familiar starters on the field.
Add the name of veteran right tackle Bryan Bulaga to a growing list.
Bulaga won't play the Packers' home opener against the Seattle Seahawks on Sunday night after he suffered a knee injury in practice Thursday.
The loss of Bulaga comes after starting linebacker Sam Barrington left the Packers' opening-day win at Chicago with what turned out to be a season-ending foot injury. Green Bay lost Pro Bowl receiver Jordy Nelson for the season to a knee injury in a preseason game four weeks ago.
The Packers didn't practice Friday, and only a few players talked to reporters during an open locker-room period.
Bulaga wasn't among them, now forced to miss more time in a career rife with injury setbacks.
"Oh, he's got to be frustrated, for sure," center Corey Linsley said. "But Bryan's a tough dude, and Bryan's not one of those guys that's going to sit there and sulk."
Bulaga injured his left knee during what coach Mike McCarthy said was an individual drill early in practice Thursday.
The sixth-year pro suffered an injury to the same knee in the Packers' season-opening loss at Seattle last year. Bulaga at that time missed only one game with a sprained MCL. Bulaga, the team's first-round draft pick in 2010, sat out the entire 2013 season because of a torn ACL, also in the left knee.
"I talked to him today," Linsley said. "He's a little down. Obviously, who wouldn't be? But he's not in any way, shape or form moping or anything. He's just working his best to get back and do whatever he needs to do to get back as soon as possible."
McCarthy wouldn't speculate on how long Bulaga may be out and he did not name a replacement in the starting lineup against a Seahawks defense with a formidable pass rush.
Don Barclay stepped in at right tackle with the first group Thursday after Bulaga dropped out. Barclay took over for the injured Bulaga in 2013, starting 15 games at right tackle, including the playoffs.
However, Barclay sustained a torn ACL early in training camp last year and missed the entire season.
A healthy Barclay jumped back in with the starters for most of the preseason last month with left tackle David Bakhtiari sidelined. But Barclay had some struggles in pass protection.
"I think everybody goes through camp and makes progress, whether you're early in your career or coming off an injury," McCarthy said. "I think Donnie has taken a normal path coming off of an ACL injury."
NOTES: The Packers list Morgan Burnett as questionable for Sunday's game. The starting safety missed the season opener with a calf injury. Burnett has practiced in limited fashion this week. WR Randall Cobb (shoulder) and backup LB Jayrone Elliott (quadriceps) are probable. . DE Datone Jones is looking forward to playing Sunday after serving a one-game suspension for a violation of the NFL's substance-abuse policy. "Now, I'm free," Jones said. "I served my time. I'm ready to go. I'm back here, I'm excited to run out of that tunnel with my teammates."
