GREEN BAY — Pierre Strong isn’t sure what his role will be on Sunday. If Kevin Zeitler knows his, he isn’t saying. 

But given the state of the Green Bay Packers’ final injury report on Friday in advance of Sunday’s matchup with the archrival Chicago Bears, Zeitler appears set to make his Packers debut at right guard and Strong, signed off the practice squad, could be the jolt the team’s running game is searching for.

With the Packers ruling out veteran running back Chris Brooks with the ankle injury he sustained during last Sunday’s win at Tampa Bay, Strong could see meaningful playing time against the Bears.

The other two running backs on the roster each fumbled against Tampa Bay:  Kaleb Johnson lost a fumble near the goal line against the Buccaneers and MarShawn Lloyd had a fumble of his own but was lucky to have it bounce out of bounds.

Asked earlier in the week about the offense’s issues with dropped passes (four), penalties (eight) and turnovers (two) against the Buccaneers, LaFleur replied, “I think a great teacher is the bench. If guys don’t start holding onto the ball, they’re going to be sitting on the bench.”

That would potentially open the door for Strong, who carried the ball 15 times for 58 yards, caught one pass (for minus-4 yards) and had a 68-yard kickoff return in preseason play, making a strong push for a roster spot.

The Packers brought him back after the final cutdown as a member of the practice squad, where he’d spent the final 16 regular-season games and the Packers’ playoff loss to the Bears last year. Although he was elevated to the game-day roster three times, he never played — having been inactive for two of the games and having dressed but did not play in the other.

He should make his Packers debut Sunday, however, since head coach Matt LaFleur always has three backs active on gameday. The Packers could certainly use the help; averaging just 58.0 yards per game, they’re dead last in the 32-team NFL in rushing.

“I always train like I’m ready to play. Especially being on P-squad, you never know really when you’re going to be called up, so I always prepare and train like I’m ready to play,” Strong said Friday.

Asked if this is an opportunity to solidify his role with the team, Strong replied, “I’m just going to leave that to the coaches. Whenever my number called, I’m going to be ready.”

Zeitler, meanwhile, was inactive for his first game with the Packers last week, with LaFleur and the coaches determining that three practices weren’t enough to get the 15-year veteran ready for the matchup with the Bucs.

Offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said earlier this week that Zeitler never took any 11-on-11 team period reps; this week, Zeitler said he got “a couple” but wouldn’t say how many.

“Feels much better than last week. Anytime you get into a situation like [this], every rep, every day, just helps more and more. So a lot of improvement over one week,” Zeitler said.

“[It’s] still a lot to process coming in already into season. Everything’s already on the table, so you’ve got to be very selective with your time on what you’re learning, how you’re attacking it, also trying to get back into the swing of things and everything.”

And is he sufficiently in the swing of things to be able to play against the Bears?

“I’m going to let that be on the coaches,” Zeitler said. “If they [like] what they see, and I know what I feel, we’ll keep attacking and when game day gets here, we’ll make the call.”

Asked how his body feels at age 36 after two weeks of practice, Zeitler replied, “Finally getting to practice again, you feel those feelings and those tiny muscles that haven’t fired in so long are firing. So overall, [I] feel good.”

For Zeitler, who grew up a Packers fan in the Milwaukee area and was a first-team All-American at the University of Wisconsin, making his green-and-gold debut against the archrival Bears would be poetic.

“Growing up in Wisconsin, obviously [knowing] all about the Packers-vs.-Bears [history] and everything, it’s cool to be a part of that now, officially,” Zeitler said. “It’s a very heated rivalry for obvious reasons and you’ve got to bring your A game.”

In addition to ruling out Brooks, the Packers also ruled out wide receiver Savion Williams, who remains on injured reserve with an ankle injury but started his return-to-play practice regimen.

Meanwhile, guards Aaron Banks (knee/toe) and Jacob Monk (quadriceps) returned to practice on a limited basis but are listed as doubtful; guard Jager Burton (back), defensive tackle Anthony Campbell (ankle) and defensive tackle Javon Hargrave (toe) are listed as questionable.

The Bears will be without one of their two job-sharing top running backs, as they ruled out Kyle Monangai (toe), who carried 30 times for 146 yards and two touchdowns in the Bears’ win over the New York Jets last Sunday.

D’Andre Swift, who figures to take on more of a workload, practiced in full on Friday despite his hip and knee issues and was removed from the injury report.

Interestingly, the Bears reported that starting quarterback Caleb Williams was a limited participant in Friday’s practice — the first time he’s practiced since suffering a hamstring injury in Week 2 — and listed him as questionable. Backup Tyson Bagent is still expected to start.

“He’s right on track,” Bears coach Ben Johnson said before practice.

“We’ve got him throwing a little bit the other day and we’ve got a progression set up for what that looks like. So, [it’s] to be determined how long it’s going to be [before he returns].”

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