GREEN BAY, Wis. — The return of Christian Watson appears imminent for the Green Bay Packers.
According to ESPN's Rob Demovsky, the Packers intend to release third-year tight end Ben Sims on Saturday to create a roster spot for Watson. Because the Packers were already at their 53-man capacity, a corresponding move needed to be made before the Packers could activate Watson from the physically unable to perform list.
The Packers are releasing TE Ben Sims, per source. That likely means they’re activating WR Christian Watson off PUP and keeping two kickers at least for another week.
— Rob Demovsky (@RobDemovsky) October 25, 2025
The expectation is that Watson will be available—whether or not he'll be on a pitch count is still uncertain—for Sunday night's clash with Aaron Rodgers and the Pittsburgh Steelers. It'll be the 26-year-old's first game back in the lineup since sustaining a torn anterior cruciate ligament in last year's regular-season finale against the Chicago Bears.
The Packers opened Watson's return-to-play window on Oct. 6, giving them 21 days to activate him to the 53-man roster. The window closes on Monday, Oct. 27, so the Packers had no choice but to make a move with Watson. They could've done it on Monday, but the sooner they're able to get him back on the field and acclimated, the better off they'll be for it later in the season. Watson has been a limited participant in practice all week.
Romeo Doubs and Christian Watson embrace in a game against the Cardinals on Oct. 13, 2024. (Photo: USA TODAY Sports)
"A lot of it is just getting reacclimated," said head coach Matt LaFleur on Friday. "You're talking about a long layoff without football, just trying to build him up so he can handle the demands of what are going to be placed upon him on gameday."
Sims, whose first two seasons in Green Bay saw him play in every single game, has become an afterthought in 2025. He's been active for just three games this season and has just one offensive snap to his name, conceding opportunities to the Packers' three preferred tight ends of Tucker Kraft, Luke Musgrave and John Fitzpatrick. Sims has played 14 snaps for Rich Bisaccia's special teams unit.
The decision to release Sims in favor of Watson also appears to indicate that the Packers will carry two kickers on the 53-man roster for now. Brandon McManus has been sidelined by a quad injury and the Packers have been intensely monitoring his workload. In the meantime, they've turned to the newly signed Lucas Havrisik, who has gone 10-for-10 on his kicks, including a franchise record 61-yard field goal last week against the Arizona Cardinals.
The Packers also elevated defensive end Arron Mosby from the practice squad for the second consecutive week. He'll revert to the practice squad on Monday.
Zachary Jacobson is the Editor-in-Chief of Packer Report. He is entering his 11th season covering theGreen Bay Packers. He is a member of thePro Football Writers of America. Follow him on Twitter@zacobson or contact him via email atitszachariahj@gmail.com