GREEN BAY, Wis. -- The Packers are bringing back veteran defensive lineman Ricky Jean Francois, but it's not because they fear Mike Daniels has a season-ending injury.
Still, they need depth on defense, where they have a slew of injuries -- including Daniels' hip, which forced him out of Sunday night's loss to the Falcons in Atlanta. The Packers will have to make room for Jean Francois, but they do not plan to put Daniels on injured reserve, a source said.
However, Daniels' status for Sunday's home game against the Cincinnati Bengals is up in the air.
The roster move will become official on Thursday, when the Packers have to open up a spot on their roster for Jean Francois. The Packers released Jean Francois last week, after he played in only six snaps in the regular-season opener against the Seattle Seahawks.
Two of the Packers' defensive linemen were on Wednesday's injury report -- Daniels and rookie Montravius Adams, who has yet to play since undergoing foot surgery more than a month ago. Daniels and Adams were among 13 players listed on the injury report.
"It's all about having depth on the D-line and making sure that when the guys are out there you can play really hard so the backups can come in and play just as hard. So I think it's big having Ricky back," Packers defensive end Dean Lowry said Wednesday.