According to Eric D. Williams of ESPN, Chargers first-round WR Mike Williams is likely to begin training camp on the physically unable to perform list due to a back injury, but the team is hopeful that he will avoid surgery.
“He’s been responding well,” Chargers GM Tom Telesco said. “The path, right now, is rehab and strengthening. That’s good news, obviously.”
Tolesco added that Williams will meet with team doctors this weekend and the team will have a better timetable for his recovery afterward.
“He’ll see our doctors this weekend and will get more of a timetable of where he is,” Telesco said. “I think he’s more trending towards not working early in camp, which is not a surprise. But we’ll kind of take it from there.”
The expectation for Williams all along was for him to be eventually placed on the PUP list after sustaining a herniated disc in his lower back.
Last week, Ian Rapoport of NFL Media reported that while surgery was on the table for Williams as of three or four weeks ago, he has spoken with two sources with direct knowledge of the situation who said that surgery is not on the table right now for Williams and he’s improving.
Williams, 22, was selected with the No. 7 overall pick by the Chargers a few months ago. According to OverTheCap.com, Williams will receive a four-year contract worth $19,750,056, which includes a signing bonus of $12,503,676. The contract also has a fifth-year option for the team to consider in 2020.
During his college career at Clemson, Williams caught 177 passes for 2,727 yards receiving (15.4 YPR) and 21 touchdowns over the course of 38 games.
We’ll provide more information regarding Williams once the news becomes available.
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