3 Packers who have offered almost nothing to the team in 2023

Christian Watson

Christian Watson has been arguably Green Bay's biggest disappointment in the first half of the regular season.

Watson entered the year with sky-high expectations, having caught 31 passes for 523 yards and seven touchdowns in the final eight games of his rookie season. The Packers didn't just hope he could build on that production; they needed him to in an offense featuring so many rookie starters.

Watson has struggled this season. He missed the opening three games due to a hamstring injury and has been unable to make a consistent impact in any game since returning. Watson has 14 catches for 236 yards and a touchdown in six games.

Jordan Love has been unable to build a reliable connection with Watson. The two rarely seem to be on the same page. According to ESPN's Rob Demovsky, Watson has only caught 42 percent of his targets, which ranks last among 126 players with 30+ targets.

It's not all on Watson. Matt LaFleur needs to do a better job of getting the ball to his top receiver. Whether it's on jet sweeps, screen passes, or whatever it takes, get the ball to Watson and let him make plays. Just throwing it deep to him a few times a game isn't working.

Love has also missed some passes where Watson was open, including the game-sealing interception against the Las Vegas Raiders. Watson had beaten his defender and could've scored if Love had thrown the ball sooner.

However, Watson has also not played well. He needs to improve his physicality on contested catches and stop dropping the football. According to Pro Football Reference, Watson has three drops in six games, having made four in 14 last season.

The Packers expected Watson to be a game-changer this year. Halfway through the season, he has been Green Bay's fourth-best wide receiver.