Jeff Janis watches practice Sunday with a wrap on his broken hand.
Things usually have a way of working out. That’s why Mike McCarthy, or any other coach for that matter, spends time playing the roster game early in training camp and the preseason. More times than not, the outcome is determined without the need to make a lot of difficult decisions.
When was saw Jeff Janis inside the Packers locker room, he had a big bag of ice on his hand and said he jammed his fingers during a drill and didn’t think the injury was serious.
Fast-forward a few days and Janis is out with a broken hand, although nobody from the Packers organization is tipping their hand on just how much time he might be away
Janis didn’t play in Friday’s preseason opening 17-11 win over the Cleveland Browns.
If Janis is out 4 to 6 weeks, which is the normal recovery time for a fracture, the Packers have a couple of options, like putting him on injured reserve for the season.
The Packers could also chose to use the designated-to-return option on Janis. In that scenario, Janis would be eligible to practice after six weeks on injured reserve, but not eligible to play until eight weeks has passed.
Janis hasn’t necessarily lit things up at wide receiver in this camp, despite a strong finish last season. But he does bring a boost to special teams.
Jordy Nelson still hasn’t returned from the PUP list, so the Packers will be keeping their eye on that.
Undrafted free agent Geronimo Allison is also a player to keep an eye on. He’s had a good camp to date and seems to have gained the trust of Aaron Rodgers.
The Packers could keep only five or go up to six receivers on the regular season roster. It’s unlikely they would keep seven receivers on the final roster.
Janis was one of the team’s top special teams performers and he was looking forward to that. Special teams coach Ron Zook knows what Janis has done on special teams and he’ll be missed, even if it’s in the short term.
AUDIO: Ron Zook says Janis will be missed :23