It's hard to believe it has only been 274 days.
Let that sink in. Two hundred seventy-four days. That's how long it took Christian Watson to return to practice after tearing his ACL in the Green Bay Packers' regular-season finale in January.
Green Bay opened his three-week practice window, the clearest sign yet that Watson's lightning-speed recovery has him close to returning. And Watson provided even more reason to be excited while speaking to reporters after practice.
"I just want to feel 100 percent confident that I'm the player that I know I'm capable of being," said Watson. "Today I felt like I was 100 percent. I just need to continue to stack days. If I can stack a week of feeling 100 percent, then I'm sure that confidence will come and I'll be ready to go."
Christian Watson says he is feeling 100 percent ahead of Packers return
Watson saying he felt 100 percent is significant.
Now, we shouldn't expect to see the former second-round pick on the field against the Cincinnati Bengals this week. Watson hesitated and didn't sound convinced when asked if he could play in Week 6, but that's smart. The Packers have three weeks to ramp up his practice work, should they need that long.
The fact that he's this close to returning in early October is wild. Shortly after suffering the injury, Watson's father predicted a return around Week 12. He is on track to shatter that timeline.
The Packers' offense is coming off its best game of the season — Jordan Love looked like an MVP. And more help is on the way. Star right tackle Zach Tom is back at practice and inching closer to a return, and Watson can make just as much of a game-changing impact once he's cleared.
Green Bay will be smart with Watson. The medical team won't put him in any danger of playing too soon.
But the Packers have started the countdown clock. Watson's three-week practice window is open, he feels 100 percent, and his return is imminent.
It's the message Packers fans have waited for, and at 274 days post-injury, it came far, far, quicker than anyone could've anticipated.