Chargers place WR Mike Williams, CB Jason Verrett on PUP

The Los Angeles Chargers will begin training camp without two high-profile players on the field.

According to the team’s official website, the Chargers officially placed wide receiver Mike Williams and cornerback Jason Verrett on the active/physically unable to perform list (PUP) to start camp. Safety Darrell Stuckey has also been placed on the PUP. All players will report to camp on Sunday at Jack Hammett Sports Complex in Costa Mesa, Calif.

It’s not a surprise to see Williams, the Chargers’ 2017 first-round pick (No. 7 overall), start camp on the PUP. Williams missed the final two weeks of the offseason program due to a back injury.

There were rumors that he’d miss the 2017 season should he undergo back surgery, but Williams himself said “everything was good” and that surgery wasn’t on the table. General manager Tom Telesco was also optimistic when asked about Williams’ status on Thursday.

“He’s been responding well,” Telesco said, via ESPN.  “The path, right now, is rehab and strengthening. That’s good news, obviously.”

The Chargers are doing the right thing by not rushing Williams back, but you hope to see him return soon so he can get some much-needed reps. Luckily, that position group is deep with Keenan Allen, Travis Benjamin, Tyrell Williams and Dontrelle Inman on the roster.

As for Verrett, he is recovering from a torn ACL suffered in Week 4 of the 2016 season. Cornerbacks Craig Mager, Trevor Williams, Trovon Reed, Desmond King and Michael Davis will get their fair share of reps opposite 2016 Pro Bowler Casey Hayward (as well as in the slot), so that should be an interesting battle to see. Meanwhile, Stuckey, a special teams standout, hurt his knee in the final week of the season, and it appears that he still needs time to fully heal.