GREEN BAY, Wis. -- All along, Jordy Nelson said his goal was to be back on the field for the Green Bay Packers' regular-season opener. It appears he has beaten that by a little more than three weeks.
The Pro Bowl receiver passed his physical on Wednesday and was activated off the physically unable to perform list, according to the NFL's daily transaction notice. It came six days shy of the one-year anniversary of the torn anterior cruciate ligament he suffered in his right knee.
It doesn't necessarily mean Nelson will play in any preseason games, but with a little more than three weeks until the season opener, it gives him time to practice with Aaron Rodgers and the rest of the offense.
Nelson missed the entire offseason program while rehabbing from reconstructive knee surgery. He appeared set to practice by the start of training camp until he experienced an issue -- what he called "a hiccup" -- with his left knee while working out earlier this summer.
"Our end goal is still the same," Nelson said when training camp opened on July 26. "We'll be ready for the regular season. Like I said, there's just a little hiccup with the other leg.
"We're not worried about it. We're going to work through it inside and continue to progress, and we'll be ready to go at some point during camp and definitely for the season."
Without Nelson last season, the Packers' offense slipped to 23rd in the NFL and Rodgers, without his deep-threat receiver, saw his yards per attempt drop to 6.7 -- the lowest since he became a starter in 2008.
Nelson caught 98 passes for 1,519 yards and 13 touchdowns in 2014.
The Packers have only one player remaining on the PUP list: center Corey Linsley, who has yet to practice because of a hamstring injury.