Aaron Rodgers Officially Activated from IR After Collarbone Injury

Aaron Rodgers is one step closer to returning to the field after the Green Bay Packers activated him from injured reserve Saturday.

Backup quarterback Joe Callahan was released to make room on the roster.

Rodgers has been out since he suffered a broken collarbone in Week 6, but he is expected to start against the Carolina Panthers on Sunday.

He was questionable to return this week but announced Tuesday on Instagram that he was medically cleared to play. The question becomes whether he can be as good as he was before the injury.

"I feel confident I will be able to go out there and play the way I've always played," Rodgers said this week, per Rob Demovsky of ESPN.com, "but I've been off for seven games and been out for a while."

Even if he is rusty, this is still a player who has been selected to six Pro Bowls in the last eight years and won two MVP awards in that span. He won't need to be 100 percent to provide a significant boost.

Green Bay is just 7-6 after a 4-1 start, although replacement quarterback Brett Hundley did just enough to keep the team in the playoff hunt.

Facing the Panthers, Minnesota Vikings and Detroit Lions to end the season is a difficult task for anyone, but the Packers will have a lot more confidence with Rodgers back under center.