“I would say Eddie Lacy is near the end, just based on talking with Eddie and what the medical staff feels,” Mike McCarthy said. Credit: Mike De Sisti

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Green Bay — It appears that the Green Bay Packers will have running back Eddie Lacy back for their game Sunday against the New York Jets, but until they see tackle Bryan Bulaga and tight end Brandon Bostick get through a practice in full pads Thursday, they still have injury concerns.

Lacy suffered a concussion in the season opener against Seattle seven days ago, and, had there not been 10 days between games, he might not have been ready for the Jets. But coach Mike McCarthy said Lacy was in the final stages of the concussion protocol the NFL mandates and had a chance to be on the practice field Thursday.

"I would say Eddie Lacy is near the end, just based on talking with Eddie and what the medical staff feels," McCarthy said. "He's had good workouts. He's progressed very quickly."

The final step to the protocol in returning Sunday is for Lacy, who watched practice from the sideline, to be cleared by an independent neurologist. If he is able to practice Thursday with no ill effects, it would seem likely that he would be available for the Jets game.

Bulaga and Bostick are another matter, although the two of them practiced to varying degrees for the first time since suffering their injuries. Both have a shot to play Sunday, but a lot of it will depend on how they look when they practice in pads.

Bulaga suffered a sprained MCL in his left knee against Seattle and was not able to return to the game.

On Wednesday, he took part in a limited portion of practice with a large brace on his knee.

He was not moving particularly well.

"Bryan's workload was really going through individual (drills)," McCarthy said. "He's been chomping at the bit the last couple of days to get out there. So really we'll just see how Bryan feels tomorrow and see how we can progress with him through the padded work."

If Bulaga can't play, Derek Sherrod is expected to replace him.

Bostick practiced for the first time since fracturing his right fibula against St. Louis on Aug. 16 and appeared to be running OK. McCarthy would really like to have him available for the Jets game since he was effectively the starting tight end and a key piece of the passing game.

When he does return, Bostick expects to start on special teams and work up from there.

"I think it's perfect timing," he said. "I'm back. I only missed one game and will hopefully be back this game. I have had plenty of time to recover, so, hopefully, I'll be good to go this Sunday."

McCarthy said a lot would depend on how well he practices in pads.

"I thought Brandon looked OK today," McCarthy said. "The kickoff cover part of it, I'm encouraged to see the video just to see the long running. But I thought in the team work he did some good things.

"But we'll see how he is tomorrow. The padded work will be the most important part for Brandon because he hasn't done it in a couple of weeks."

Taking a break: One player whose chances don't look good for Sunday is linebacker Brad Jones, who is coming off arguably the worst game of his career. Jones had been dealing with a thigh strain and it was determined he needed to get healthy.

"He's been fighting this thing for weeks," McCarthy said. "It definitely didn't help him, that's for sure. Brad's always responded. He's been a good player for us for a long time. He's obviously beat up."

McCarthy didn't name a starter, but Jamari Lattimore is listed as his backup.

Leaps and bounds: Jets starting quarterback Geno Smith threw 21 interceptions last year, but the part of the season coach Rex Ryan likes to remember is the final month.

The Jets finished 3-1 in large part to Smith's late-season growth. He scored seven touchdowns with only two interceptions during that stretch to even the Jets' record at 8-8.

"The last month of the season, he actually had the second-highest quarterback rating in the league, but nobody talks about it because I think he was last up until that point and might have ended up last," Ryan said.

"He came a million miles. It starts with his poise, his confidence, the fact that he really knows this offense and he studies defensive coordinators, studies defenses and he's confident. He can make all the throws."

Taking a look: The Packers had six players in for workouts on Monday.

They were: defensive tackle Euclid Cummings, defensive end Joe Kruger, tackle Erle Ladson, running back Lache Seastrunk, running back Jeremy Stewart and tackle Mitchell Van Dyk.

Journal Sentinel writer Tyler Dunne contributed to this story.