Packers activate rookie lineman Caleb Jones after three months on non-football illness list

GREEN BAY − The Green Bay Packers activated offensive lineman Caleb Jones after the rookie spent nearly three months on the non-football illness list with a bout of mononucleosis.

Jones was placed on the NFl in September and did not practice from Sept. 16 to Nov. 23, when he returned to the practice field. That opened a three-week window in which the club could allow Jones to practice and decide whether to return him to the active 53-man roster. That decision was made Wednesday.

At 6-foot-9 and 340 pounds, Jones' size stands out among his teammates. The rookie undrafted free agent was placed on the Packers practice squad to begin the season but was moved to the active roster shortly after the season began. Not long after that is when he contracted mono.

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“It’s been like a mini-offseason the last eight weeks,” Jones told PackersNews in November after his first practice back. “I’ve just kind of been working out, making sure I’m staying on top of my weight, my conditioning, lifting like crazy. Now I feel like I’m in fantastic shape, just strong and fast.

"I’ve got to make up for lost time. This is my rookie year and if they keep me around here to develop, I have to make sure these next few weeks, as long as I have to practice, I’m making the most of every opportunity to develop."

Jones' activation comes ahead of the Packers' Monday night game against the Los Angeles Rams. The club is down an offensive lineman, as left tackle David Bakhtiari is recovering from an appendectomy. Earlier this week, Green Bay added tackle Jean Delance and center Michal Menet to the practice squad.