Did Doubs Provide Hint About Sunday?

Green Bay Packers receiver Romeo Doubs offered a series of well-rehearsed answers on Thursday about his injured hamstring and potential availability for Sunday’s season-opening game at the Chicago Bears.

“As far as my health, I will leave that up to coach (Matt) LaFleur,” Doubs said after practicing for the first time in two weeks.

Once, though, he might have let the cat out of the bag.

“Throughout this entire week, I thought some of the things I’ve been doing just within this building, I thought I’ve been doing a tremendous job,” Doubs said. “We’re days away from Sunday, but I can’t wait to play.”

Can’t wait to play.

Whether or not that happens will be determined over the next couple days. After stressing the muscle at practice, how will he feel when he gets out of bed on Friday? How will he perform at Friday’s practice? When it’s Sunday, can he play to his standard for 50 snaps or will he be at less than full speed for 20 snaps?

Week 1 is important, no doubt, but not so important to put a key contributor at risk of a long-term injury.

“Certainly, we’re not going to put him in a position to miss a longer period of time,” LaFleur said. “So, if he’s feeling good, he’ll be out there and, if he’s not, then he won’t.”

Regardless, Thursday’s return to practice was a big development headed into a divisional showdown to kick off the NFL season. The Packers, with the NFL’s youngest receiver corps, could use Doubs’ presence, especially with Christian Watson missing practices on Wednesday and Thursday due to his own hamstring injury.

“Anytime you can get that veteran experience, that’s priceless. That’s going to be important,” offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said.

When Watson and Doubs didn’t practice on Wednesday, it raised the unsavory possibility the Packers would line up with a receiver corps with just five career catches. Doubs, though, said he didn’t place pressure on himself to play to give the team a proven performer.

“There’s no pressure because we practice situations, we have meetings,” he said. “As far as our room, everyone else in this facility, we have been doing everything the right way. So, to say there’s pressure, no. It can be but no. Again, I’m just glad to be able to get out there with the guys and just move around and be in their presence.”

Doubs said he didn’t cut it loose at Thursday’s practice, but he was encouraged by what he was able to do. His comeback is right on schedule, which perhaps means the team’s most accomplished receiver – he had a team-high 42 catches as a rookie – could be on the field for a big Week 1 game.

“I wasn’t concerned,” he said. “I did know from that point moving on forward it was just doing whatever I can to get back to normal. I thought today was a pretty good day, just moving around. Can’t wait for the next day.”