Xavier McKinney Could Miss Rest of Packers Training Camp, Preseason amid Calf Injury

Green Bay Packers All-Pro safety Xavier McKinney may not be back on the field until the team's game against the Detroit Lions in Week 1 of the regular season.

According to ESPN's Rob Demovsky, McKinney suggested Thursday that he may have to miss the rest of training camp and the entire preseason due to a calf injury.

The calf injury is an pre-existing ailment that McKinney aggravated this week, causing him to miss practice Thursday.

While his status for the remainder of training camp and the preseason is up in the air, McKinney made it clear that he will be good to go for the Packers' regular-season opener on Sept. 7, saying: "Obviously glad that we caught it when we caught it, so just kind of trying to take it slow and then the build-up, obviously. But I'll be ready when it's time to go, for sure."

McKinney spent his first four NFL seasons with the New York Giants after they selected him in the second round of the 2020 NFL draft out of Alabama, but after he recorded a career-high 116 tackles in 2023, the Packers pounced on him in free agency.

Green Bay signed McKinney to a four-year, $67 million contract, and the move paid immediate dividends, as McKinney enjoyed a career year in 2024.

Starting all 17 games, McKinney recorded 88 tackles, 11 passes defended and a career-high eight interceptions en route to his first Pro Bowl nod and First Team All-Pro selection.

McKinney received NFL Defensive Player of the Year votes as well, finishing in eighth place.

Green Bay reached the playoffs last season for a second straight year, losing to the eventual Super Bowl champion Philadelphia Eagles in the NFC Wild Card Round.

McKinney, who turns 27 on Friday, figures to be a massive part of the Packers' overall team success again in 2025, but his injury adds even more uncertainty to Green Bay's secondary heading into the season.

Along with McKinney, projected starting cornerback Nate Hobbs is on the shelf after undergoing knee surgery, although he believes he will be ready for Week 1, much like McKinney, per Demovsky.

Until McKinney returns, 2024 fifth-round pick Kitan Oladapo is the leading candidate to take over his starting reps in practice and preseason games.

Oladapo saw only limited action as a rookie, registering seven tackles in nine games, none of which were starts.