Brian Gutekunst provides injury updates on Sammy Watkins, Christian Watson

The Green Bay Packers have two key wide receivers on the PUP list this week in veteran Sammy Watkins and second-round pick Christian Watson. General manager Brian Gutekunst provided an update on their injuries on Wednesday.

“Sammy’s a very short-term thing,” Gutekunst said. “You never want any guys to miss any time because it’s all valuable but Sammy’s very short-term, I think you’ll see him out here pretty soon. Christian’s one of those things, we came out of OTAs, I think there was a thought process like do you want to push through and finish this after the 2022 season or should we just go ahead and do it now. So we just did it now. He’ll miss a little bit of time here in camp but it’s nothing long-term.”

Although Gutekunst didn’t give specifics on either receiver’s injuries, he did provide some positivity with the news. Watkins should be back “pretty soon,” while it sounds like Watson will be back before the season starts.

Watkins, a former first-round pick of the Buffalo Bills in the 2014 NFL Draft, signed a one-year deal worth $4 million with Green Bay back in April. The Packers brought him in to provide a veteran presence. They also need him to replace some of the productivity after the departure of All-Pro wide receiver Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders.

Last season in Baltimore, Sammy Watkins had a career-low 49 targets with 27 receptions, 394 yards, and one touchdown.

The franchise drafted Christian Watson out of North Dakota State with the No. 34 overall selection in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft. He’s expected to compete for playing time in his rookie season. However, landing on the PUP list certainly doesn’t help things. In his final collegiate season, he posted 43 receptions for 800 yards and seven touchdowns. He also ran the ball for 114 yards and another score.

Packers put nine players on PUP list heading into training camp

NFL teams across the league are announcing the players they’ve decided to put on the physically unable to perform list or PUP list, heading into training camp. On Friday, the Green Bay Packers placed nine players on their physically unable to perform list. Christian Watson, Robert Tonyan, Elgton Jenkins, Mason Crosby, Dean Lowry, Kylin Hill, Hauati Pututau, Randy Ramsey and Patrick Taylor made the list. Sammy Watkins joined the list Tuesday.

From the PUP list, the players on it can be activated at any time. There is no time limit on how long the player must be on the list in the preseason.

The more concerning names on this list for Packers fans are wide receiver Christian Watson and tight end Robert Tonyan.

On3’s Justin Rudolph contributed to this report.