Now that the Aaron Rodgers three-ring circus is over, attention turns to one of his targets, wide receiver Randall Cobb.

Cobb has actually been healthy enough to practice for the past couple weeks, but not quite 100 percent to make it past that final hurdle of being cleared and returning to action.

On Thursday, Cobb said he's preparing as if he'll play in the Packers' next game, but it isn't his call whether he'll get the final go-ahead.

Friday will be telling for him, the last day of practice this week for the Packers as they get ready to take on the Chicago Bears in a winner-take-all matchup on Sunday for the NFC North division title.

Before practice, Cobb will undergo a medical evaluation that could determine whether he's ready to play.

"I thought Randall had a very good day (Thursday)," said head coach Mike McCarthy. "He was very positive at the end of practice (about) his evaluation tomorrow and how we work him tomorrow. I feel a lot better now than I probably did his morning, but he definitely took a step in that direction."

Technically, Cobb is still on the team's short-term injured reserve with a designation to return.

Until he's activated to the team's 53-man roster, Cobb won't appear on the injury report, so interested parties might not learn his practice status whether he's either "limited" or "full."

After defensive lineman Johnny Jolly and tight end Brandon Bostick landed on season-ending injured reserve last week, the Packers don't have to clear any extra room on their roster. There's space for Cobb, whenever he's ready to return.

Attention will also be on running back Eddie Lacy and the other injured players on the Packers roster who have been held out of practice this week (Brad Jones, Ryan Taylor), but McCarthy said Lacy won't necessarily have to practice in order to play against the Bears.

McCarthy will meet with the media at 12:25 p.m. CT to give an update on Cobb, Lacy and several other topics in a press conference to be streamed live on the team's official website.