If Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson were to finish the 2024 season with 1,200 yards and double-digit touchdowns, it wouldn’t be a surprise to those familiar with his skills and potential. But to reach those numbers, Watson would have to stay hearty, something the talented pass-catcher, who is entering his third season, hasn’t been able to do.
“That’s been my goal from the beginning, but I haven’t been able to do that in the past,” Watson said after Monday’s practice.
At 6-foot-4 and 208 pounds, Watson caught the eye of Green Bay’s scouting department when he ran the 40-yard dash in 4.36 seconds and recorded a 38.5-inch vertical jump at the 2022 NFL Combine. Ultimately, it was those quirky traits and the play he showed at North Dakota State that convinced the Packers to trade up and select him with the 34th overall pick.t Generally.
But Watson’s biggest hurdle in his first two seasons wasn’t adjusting to NFL talent or learning the preferences of two different quarterbacks. Instead, it was overcoming soft-tissue injuries that cost him 11 games.
After last season in which he missed eight games with two right hamstring strains, the team and Watson wanted answers.
So in the offseason, Watson went to the University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health to find them. After eight hours of testing, it turned out that Watson had an asymmetry in strength levels in each leg. In other words, his right hamstring was weaker than his left.
Watson’s immediate priority was to ensure that both legs had equal strength. So far, the results have been encouraging.
Watson had a 100% attendance record in training camp, making a ton of show-stopping plays along the way. The intensity will obviously raise when Green Bay flies to Brazil to face the Philadelphia Eagles in the season opener on Friday, but Watson enters his third year with renewed optimism.
“I want to play 100% of the games, I want to play 100% of the training sessions,” he said. “I’m exactly where I want to be.”
Talk of Green Bay’s best wide receiver may be making Matt LaFleur lose his patience, but there’s no denying who has the most potential on the team’s roster.
Coaches and players alike have said the Packers offense is undoubtedly more unsafe when Watson is on the field. No other receiver poses the threat to take the top off the defense and make a high-scoring catch over the No. 1 cornerback like he does. Unfortunately, we’ve only seen glimpses of that.
Whether this will be Watson’s breakout year is up for debate, but it’s undoubtedly key. For the Packers to chase Super Bowl aspirations, they may need a hearty Watson to unlock his true potential.
