Jeff Janis Injury: Packers’ wide receiver missed preseason opener with broken hand

The Green Bay Packers have a handful of position battles in training camp this summer, but none has been more hyped or subject to more scrutiny from fans than the wide receiver competition. Some speculated that the Packers could keep as many as seven players on the active roster, which would be an unprecedented number for the team under Ted Thompson.

However, when the preseason kicked off on Friday night, one of the most highly-anticipated players in the roster battle, Jeff Janis, was not playing. Following the game, ESPN’s Rob Demovsky found out why, as a source revealed to him that Janis has a broken bone in his hand.

Janis, who has lit up the preseason over the past two summers, has been trying to build on his seven-catch, 145-yard, two-touchdown performance against Arizona in the playoffs, but has not had the breakout that many had hoped for. Now that breakout will be shelved for the time being, and Demovsky indicates that Janis is out “indefinitely.”

With Janis out, more opportunities should be afforded to players like Jared Abbrederis, Ty Montgomery, Trevor Davis, and Geronimo Allison. It also further solidifies Davante Adams as the Packers’ number 3 receiver, as one less player will be competing for that job in the immediate future.

If Janis’ injury does linger on through the rest of the preseason and still keeps him out of action by week one, it is difficult to imagine the Packers keeping him active on the 53-man roster after final cuts. In that event, Janis’ special teams contributions would likely be missed the most; he was the Packers’ best punt gunner in 2015 and was the team’s most effective kickoff returner as well.

Stay tuned for more updates, as the Packers will be back on the practice field Sunday afternoon at 12:15 PM.