The Green Bay Packers have been nothing short of dominant in the first two weeks of the season, and the fact that they have been such a juggernaut on the offensive side of the ball without young deep threat Christian Watson makes this start even more impressive.
As Watson works his way back from an ACL injury, the North Dakota State product was placed on the PUP list, which knocked him out for the first few games of the season. Watson was not expected to seriously be considered as a candidate for playing time until the Packers' Week 12 game.
Watson, however, seems to be defying all of those projections. Between Watson himself being eligible to practice ahead of their Week 5 game against the Cincinnati Bengals and Brian Gutekunst's optimism of a quick return, things are looking up as it pertains to a speedy return.
“I feel like if it was the NFC Championship Game tomorrow, I would be able to go out there and feel confident, for sure,” Watson said via The Athletic. “Nine months is long enough, so I wanna get the nine months out the way and come back and be 100-percent Christian Watson and go out there and not have to worry about it anymore.”
Packers WR Christian Watson may return from ACL injury sooner than expected
The Packers feel confident in Watson eventually getting back to what he was before his injury, as they previously agreed to terms on a one-year contract extension to make up for a 2025 season he will miss a good chunk of. Even in a deep receiver room, Watson's presence will be considered invaluable.
Green Bay has had success with its menagerie of young pass catchers, so much so that this team might be able to sustain the loss of Jayden Reed after his broken collarbone. Rookies Matthew Golden and Savion Williams have yet to break out alongside Romeo Doubs and tight end Tucker Kraft.
Watson still has something to prove when he gets back to full health, however. His route-running hasn't always been as crisp as Matt LaFleur would have liked it to be, and there have been quite a few very bad drops that have turned the tide of many brutal games in the LaFleur era.
Watson is not going to have a transformative impact on this offense, but the Packers would love to add even more speed and verticality to this passing attack.