Drafting Matthew Golden in the first round understandably left fans questioning whether we would ever see him on the field with Christian Watson.
Watson is recovering from a late-season torn ACL, adding jeopardy to his status this year. He then becomes a free agent next spring. However, the start of OTAs has brought promising news, pushing the door open for a formidable Watson-Golden combination this fall.
"Christian is doing outstanding," head coach Matt LaFleur told reporters on Wednesday. "I would say he's ahead of schedule, but again, I'm not a doctor. I'm not medical staff, so we'll see where he's at."
It follows an encouraging sign that Watson participated in the stretches with his teammates before practice.
The key line is "ahead of schedule." Many pointed to around midseason as a potential return timeline for Watson, but significant knee injuries aren't always simple. It's a huge positive to hear that not only is Watson on track, but potentially ahead of that timeline.
Christian Watson update could create dream scenario alongside Matthew Golden late in the season
Many view Golden as Watson's long-term replacement. That may prove to be the case next offseason, but it now looks likely we'll at least see them together at some point this year, and that's a scary prospect for opposing defenses.
Watson forces opponents to change their game plans. The most obvious example came in the Packers' playoff demolition of the Dallas Cowboys — Dan Quinn was so terrified of Watson (who caught three touchdowns against his defense the season before) that he did everything to take him away. Watson regularly had three defenders following him.
The Packers responded by turning it into the Romeo Doubs Show, who made Quinn's defense pay with six catches for 151 yards and a touchdown.
Now, add in Golden's 4.29-second speed, and defensive coordinators will have nightmares trying to slow down the Packers' receivers.
It's just a shame Green Bay will meet Quinn's Washington Commanders in Week 2, likely well before Watson's return.
But there are positive signs. Watson is less than five months removed from the injury but continues to make good progress. He will likely miss time this season, but it sounds like the former second-rounder is on track to play at some point.
Watson's return could come at the perfect time to form an unstoppable late-season connection with Golden. Good luck stopping that.