The Green Bay Packers will be without wide receiver Christian Watson for their Week 1 away game against the Chicago Bears.
The pass catcher is dealing with a hamstring injury. Romeo Dubs is also doubtful to play due to a thigh injury. However, while Douce was able to return to training on a limited basis over the weekend, Watson was unable to return.
With Watson definitely out and Douce questionable, there were serious doubts about the effectiveness of the Packers’ offense. If Douce is unable to play, Love’s main weapons will be two rookie tight ends, Samori Toure and three rookie wide receivers.
But the Packers’ roster moves on Saturday indicate Dubs will almost certainly play.
The Green Bay Packers’ roster moves do not include a wide receiver, suggesting Romeo Dubs will play.
If Dubs couldn’t play Sunday, the Packers would be left with Toure, Jaden Reed, Dontaevion Wicks and wide receiver Malik Heath. Green Bay likely would have signed Grant DuBose or Beau Melton from the practice squad in case either goes down.
But today, the Packers announced that running back Patrick Taylor and safety Ennis Gaines have been called up from the practice squad. With Douce healthy, Green Bay has five wide receivers without Watson. If they decide not to add an additional wide receiver, they have to be pretty confident Dubs will play.
Last season, Dubs appeared in only one of the Packers’ two games against the Bears. In the Week 2 meeting, Dubs played just 37% of the offensive snaps and caught two passes (for three scores) for 27 yards.
Things will almost certainly change on Sunday. Without Watson, Dowse would be Green Bay’s No. 1 wide receiver, and given how much he worked with Jordan Love this offseason, their chemistry made him the wide receiver anyway. Maybe.
Why did the Green Bay Packers promote Innis Gaines and Patrick Taylor?
The Packers replaced Patrick Taylor with fan-favorite running back Emmanuel Wilson on the 53-man roster. We made the general decision to keep him on the roster. Why is Taylor being promoted now (along with Ennis Gaines)?
There is no update on Wilson’s injury. He wasn’t on the injury report, so we know there’s nothing wrong with him. But while Taylor has proven to be a force on special teams, Wilson is not. It wouldn’t be surprising to see Taylor and others called up for special teams duties, at least for the first few weeks of the season.
NFL teams can promote an individual from the practice squad three times. From the third time onwards, this player will be returned to his group, training normally. However, if the team subsequently wishes to advance again, the player must be added to the 53-man roster.
It’s no surprise that Taylor and Gaines have already risen to the top.