Jeff Janis injury: Packers receiver out 4-6 weeks after hand surgery

The Green Bay Packers’ roster battle at wide receiver got a little clearer in the short term and a little muddier long-term. We learned over the weekend that Jeff Janis had a broken bone in his hand and that his timetable for recovery was unknown. However, on Monday following practice, Janis spoke to the media and shed some light on both the fix for the break and his recovery time:

Clearly, that’s a significant fracture if it required screws to anchor the bone together. However, the 4-6 week timetable puts the Packers in a bit of a bind. If Janis were to come back in 4 weeks, that could have him back on the field just in time for the Packers’ season opener in Jacksonville on September 11th. However, in the event that it were a six-week recovery, he would come back either for the Packers’ week 3 game against Detroit or after the bye in week 5.

If he indeed misses time in the regular season, his absence would hurt the Packers’ depth both at wide receiver and on special teams, where Janis excelled as both a gunner on the punt team and as a kick returner. Then again, with him sidelined for the rest of camp and not having the breakout summer many were hoping for, it’s possible the team might move on from Janis entirely.

Stay tuned.