The Green Bay Packers are waiving backup tight end Ben Sims. ESPN’s Rob Demovsky was the first to report the news. According to him, the move is an indication that wide receiver Christian Watson is probably getting activated from the physically unable to perform (PUP) list later on Saturday and would be available to play against the Pittsburgh Steelers on Sunday.
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
Sequence of consequences
While the decision to cut Sims is a positive indication in regards to Watson, it’s also an intriguing one about the kicking situation. Presumably, the Packers could waive kicker Lucas Havrisik, but starter Brandon McManus is listed as questionable to play with his quad injury.
Therefore, Green Bay opted to keep two kickers on the 53-man roster for now, delaying the decision about who will play until gameday.
Undrafted in 2023, Ben Sims was originally signed by the Minnesota Vikings. He didn’t make the 53-man roster there, though, and the Packers claimed him off waivers. He played two full seasons on the Packers, and was now in the final year of his undrafted rookie deal.
If Sims clears waivers, there’s still a possibility he returns to the Packers — either on the practice squad or even on the active roster next week, if McManus is healthy and the team can move on from Havrisik. The tight end room now has Tucker Kraft, Luke Musgrave, and John FitzPatrick.
Big decision on Watson
The Packers had opened Christian Watson’s 21-day practice window on Oct. 6. The team has until Monday to activate Watson to the 53-man roster, but if he’s ready to play, that could happen at any point. And if the Packers do activate him on Saturday, the wide receiver will be back to play the Steelers.
Watson tore his ACL back in January during a Week 18 game against the Chicago Bears. If he plays on Sunday, the receiver would beat the usual 10-month recovery timeline.
His return would come at the perfect time, because the Packers are handling issues at wide receiver. Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks are both out, and rookie Matthew Golden is questionable to play on Sunday due to a hip injury.
