JC Tretter Injury Update: No Ligament Damage, Recovery Timetable at 5-6 Weeks per Report

Green Bay Packers fans around the world learned in head coach Mike McCarthy's press conference today that starting center JC Tretter has a knee injury that will keep him out a few weeks. Later this afternoon, ESPN Wisconsin beat writer Jason Wilde learned some more details from a source that explain just how long Tretter's recovery is expected to take:

#NFL source says #Packers C @JCTretter's knee injury does not require surgery. Could sideline him for up to six weeks. He, team hoping less.

— Jason Wilde (@jasonjwilde) August 24, 2014

#NFL source says @JCTretter did not suffer ligament damage in the knee, which would have made it 6-10 week injury. Instead, 5-6 weeks.

— Jason Wilde (@jasonjwilde) August 24, 2014

This should draw a big sigh of relief from Packers fans who just saw the anchor of their defensive line, B.J. Raji, go down for the entire 2014 season. Thankfully, Tretter avoided a similar fate; this timetable would put Tretter back in the lineup sometime around the Packers' week 4 or 5 matchups against divisional foes (they play the Bears in week 4 and the Vikings in week 5).

Losing Tretter at this stage will force the Packers and offensive line coach James Campen to shuffle the offensive line. One option would be to start fifth-round draft pick Corey Linsley at center and keep the other positions on the line steady, but the team could elect to move one of their guards (either Josh Sitton or T.J. Lang) to center instead. Either way, the revamped line will be in for a tough test in week one against the Seattle Seahawks' tough defense and in week three against Ndamukong Suh, Nick Fairley, and the Lions' talented line.

Stay tuned for more news about Tretter, the Packers' offensive line, and the team's rapidly growing injury list.