Green Bay Packers tight end Christian Watson avoided injury at training camp for the second time in less than a week.
On Family Night, Watson and rookie safety Evan Williams collided while throwing the ball down the seam, which coach Matt LaFleur called a “scary moment” for both players. Watson appeared surprised when Williams dived for the ball, but the third-year quarterback walked off the field under his own power and eventually returned to practice.
Watson and Williams were injured again on Wednesday.
According to reporters at practice, Watson and Williams both approached a pass from Jordan Love during a two-minute drive for the No. 1 offense. Williams intercepted the ball, and Watson went down.
After spending several minutes on the field under the supervision of coaches as practice drew to a close, Watson finally got up and left the training pitch.
Ryan Wood of PackersNews.com got two thumbs up from Watson as he was leaving:
Christian Watson gives two thumbs up as he walks off the training pitch. He is OK. Watson said his knee hit the side of his leg when he hit the ground. The team initially surrounded him but he is able to walk, albeit with a slight limp.#Packers this certainly could have been avoided. photo: twitter.com/vpT8eWPyqG
— Ryan Wood (@ByRyanWood) August 7, 2024
According to Wood, Watson was struck in the side by a knee or leg as he fell to the ground.
Watson’s left leg appears to have been damaged.
Injuries remain a shadow that haunts Watson, though the two incidents may suggest his injury luck is changing. In two NFL seasons, Watson has missed 11 of a possible 34 regular-season games and missed several others — mostly because of recurring lower-body and soft-tissue injuries. The 2022 second-round draft pick has done everything he can to avoid a repeat scenario in 2024, adding strength and trying to correct a muscle imbalance between his legs after consulting with specialists at UW-Madison this offseason.
So far, all good with the tender tissue. And now Watson has apparently come out on top after two on-field collisions during training camp. To be clear, there is a distinct difference between a tender tissue injury and an impact injury.
The Packers will practice behind closed doors again on Thursday, and then LaFleur’s team will travel to Cleveland to play the Browns in their preseason opener on Saturday. LaFleur expects a robust roster of veterans to play, but it’s possible Watson — coming off another injury — will miss the game out of caution.
Here’s what Watson has to say about the injury concerns, via Matt Schneidman of The Athletic:
Christian Watson says he took a knee injury in the last action of training, which kept him out for a while. He’s feeling some pain at the moment, but right now he’s just sore and bruised.
“Nothing that would stop me from doing anything.” photo: twitter.com/hOc6AU7jhq
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) August 7, 2024
Watson said he had a bruise after training and his leg “hurt.”
“At that point, it hurt a lot more than I thought it would,” Watson said.
Watson said he was grateful the injury was not earnest.
