The Green Bay Packers have signed linebacker Carl Bradford from their practice squad and released tight end Justin Perillo, a move that signals the likely return of starting tight end Jared Cook.

The 6-foot-4 Cook has been out since Week 3 with an ankle injury.

Cook could give quarterback Aaron Rodgers a big target sorely needed over the middle help open up the field for receivers Jordy Nelson, Randall Cobb and Davante Adams. Without Perillo, Richard Rodgers is the only other tight end on the Packers' active roster.

Cook (ankle, questionable) took full practice reps all week and is questionable for Week 11. Cook may be able to return this week as the story indicated. Richard Rodgers has not played well in his absence, so Cook will be given every opportunity to win the job outright.

A week after sitting out because a hamstring injury, Randall Cobb caught two passes for 14 yards -- including the 3-yard touchdown that pulled the Packers within five points of the Colts with 3:29 to play after trailing by 18 -- in an extremely limited role. Afterward, there appeared to be some confusion about what should have been expected from Cobb in his return.

“Didn’t quite understand what Cobb’s status was,” Packers quarterback Aaron Rodgers said.

Even Cobb was unsure why he didn’t play a single snap in the first half.

“I was waiting for my number to be called,” he said. “Obviously, there was some apprehension with my injury, and we didn’t know for sure if I was going to be able to get out there. But once I was cleared, I didn’t quite know exactly what to expect, so I just had to be prepared for my number.”

HC Mike McCarthy said he was surprised Cobb was able to suit up but he took a conservative approach with him. As a result, it wasn't a great fantasy day for owners but the TD was a nice bonus. Now the hope is Cobb will be closer to full strength, and a more involved role, for their next game.

Remember how quickly Jared Cook made an impact in his first training-camp practice with the Green Bay Packers back on Aug. 9?

Three plays into that practice, Cook caught a 20-yard pass from quarterback Aaron Rodgers.

The same thing happened in their preseason debut together. On the Packers’ third play from scrimmage on Friday night against the 49ers, Rodgers fired a slant on third-and-3 that Cook caught and turned into a 19-yard gain. The 6-foot-5, 254-pound tight end proved to be a difficult cover for San Francisco 49ers linebacker Ray-Ray Armstrong (6-foot-3, 220).

“I think he’s going to be a good part of our offense,” Rodgers said. “He made a lot of plays out there. Did a good job on the basic route on third down that I hit him on, made some contested catches tonight, which was nice to see, and he did a good job with the ball in his hands.

Although it was his only catch from Rodgers in their two series together in the win over the 49ers, Cook caught three more passes and finished with four catches for 54 yards. All four of his grabs were for first downs. Two of them came on third down and another on a fourth-and-4 that went for a 12-yard gain from backup Joe Callahan, the story said. This is a great sign for the Packers as well as those who took a shot on Cook in fantasy drafts. Cook has made a little climb in our rankings but is still only 19th with an ADP of the 15th round, which is presenting great value at the position. We think he has TE1 potential if all goes well.

Jared Cook no longer feels like the new kid on the block in the Packers’ offense

The eighth-year tight end has been immersed in the playbook since he signed as a free agent in March, discovering where he fits into the offense and picking up most of the signals.

Cook has seen 42 offensive snaps in the first two preseason games, catching four passes for 26 yards from backup quarterbacks Brett Hundley and Joe Callahan.

As comfortable as he feels, Cook knows the final exam that awaits him this Friday night when Aaron Rodgers makes his preseason debut against the San Francisco 49ers.

The tempo will pick up with the two-time MVP quarterback running the offense, challenging everything Cook has learned over the last five months.

Cook said having Rodgers run the offense will be a good test for him this week. The story added Cook and Rodgers have developed a rapport since Cook came off the PUP list Aug. 9, a key note for Cook's fantasy potential this year. The piece added Cook has been a popular target in the middle of the field as well. Cook's been climbing our TE rankings a bit and we think he'll compare to what Richard Rodgers did last year - finishing as #11 TE. We think Cook has upside and a chance to post TE1 numbers.

The closest thing Jordy Nelson did to real football during his first practice in 364 days came at the end of the session, when he ran some half-speed routes while fellow receivers Randall Cobb and Davante Adams acted as cornerbacks during a jog-through.

No wonder Nelson called it "hardly even a practice."

By unofficial count, earlier in Monday's practice Nelson caught 15 passes from Aaron Rodgers and the other quarterbacks at the far end of the field while the rest of the team went through a special-teams period.

Nelson appeared to run closer to full speed in that drill, although never against a defender.

Nelson said he felt good conditioning-wise and added he believes he's on track to play in the season opener on Sept. 11 against the Jags. The team only has one more full practice before Friday's preseason game, which means it's unlikely Nelson will suit up for that, according to the story.

So here's Packers RB Eddie Lacy after two games this exhibition season with similar numbers. In two games, Lacy's limited work resulted in 13 carries for 69 yards, a 5.3-yard average, and one touchdown. He played the first series last week against the Browns and gained 24 yards on four carries. He took only the first series Thursday against the Raiders and posted 45 yards on nine carries.

Lacy could get a longer stint in Friday's game at San Francisco, where quarterback Aaron Rodgers expects to play for the first -- and likely only -- time this preseason.

The story said, if the preseason is any indication -- and based on last year's results for Lacy alone, it often is not -- coach Mike McCarthy wants to establish the run with Lacy as his point man early on. But Lacy does look good after losing weight in the offseason. We have Lacy 12th in PPR league but think he has a chance to be a top-10 back they way things have been trending this offseason.