The Green Bay Packers are awfully banged up so far this training camp. The team is dealing with a decent amount of injuries. The team has suffered injuries to key players like Jordan Love, Xavier McKinney, Nate Hobbs, Dontayvion Wicks, Jayden Reed, Rasheed Walker, and MarShawn Lloyd. It sounds like everyone is expected to return before Week 1. However, the most exciting news from the injured list is the status of WR Christian Watson, who according to GM Brian Gutekunst, is ahead of schedule.
Before the start of practice on Tuesday, Gutekunst met with the media. Gutekunst expects Watson, who is recovering from a torn ACL suffered against the Bears in Week 18 last season, to start the year on the PUP list. This means he cannot play in the Packers first four games. However, Gutekunst went on to say, “He’s ahead of the curve, no doubt about it”. Later on, Gutekunst added, “More than likely, he’ll start on PUP, but after those four games, I’m sure he’ll be champing at the bit.”
The potential likelihood for Watson to return to the field for the Packers Week 6 game against the Bengals is awfully thrilling. That would mean Watson fully recovered from a ACL in just nine to ten months. Since the Packers have the Week 5 bye, it gives the Packers and Watson an extra week to continue his rehab. There have been reports from training camp of Watson running and cutting at full speed but Gutekunst made it quite clear, that the Packers want to make sure he is 110% ready to go before he is fully cleared. This is why it is likely that he will start on the PUP list.
Christian Watson is a Critical Piece in the Packers Offense
Christian Watson’s impact on the Packers offense, at least to the normal NFL fan, is quite undervalued. Watson brings two facets to the table that the other Packers wide receivers cannot offer at the same extent. Watson’s ability to stretch the field and block is hard to find. It is well known that opposing defenses constantly take note of where he is on the field. Teams do not want him to beat them deep. As a result, Watson creates opportunities underneath and in the middle of the field for the Packers offense.
Since Matt LaFleur arrived in Green Bay, his ideal wide receiver is a guy who cannot just block but enjoys blocking. Watson is that guy. His unique size and strength is already an advantage but his desire and intent to contribute in the running game as a blocker is what makes him so valuable. The offense does not quite become stale without Watson but they certainly are much more complex and dangerous when he is on the field.
In 2024, it was noticeable that Watson was starting to develop into a can-do-it-all kind of wide receiver. His contested catch percentage increased from 33.1% in 2023 to 69.2%. There was a four game stretch in 2024 where Watson averaged 33.1 yards a catch. That average did not only include deep balls but a few of those were long receptions that included significant yards after the catch. The possibility that Christian Watson could return in October, after an injury where many believed that he would miss the majority of 2025, is awfully encouraging as he could provide a substantial boost to the Green Bay offense.
