Packers coach provides important update on Christian Watson injury

The Green Bay Packers are expected to level up offensively this season. A key factor is the health of third-year wide receiver Christian Watson.

Watson has only played 23 of a possible 34 games since entering the league, and he was below 100 percent in many of them. We've seen glimpses of a fully-healthy Watson, and the results were encouraging.

He closed out his rookie season with 523 yards and seven touchdowns in the final eight games but was in and out of the lineup due to hamstring issues last year. In a three-game stretch against the Los Angeles Chargers, Detroit Lions, and Kansas City Chiefs, Watson caught 14 passes for 186 yards and four touchdowns but re-injured his hamstring against the Chiefs and missed the rest of the regular season.

If Watson can overcome the hamstring issues and stay healthy, he can single-handedly make a significant impact for the Packers' offense.

And the latest update is encouraging.

Packers wide receiver Christian Watson is 'in a great place'

According to ESPN's Rob Demovsky, Packers passing game coordinator Jason Vrable said Watson is "in a great place now" regarding his hamstring issues.

The Packers have taken it seriously.

Shortly after Green Bay's season ended, Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reported that Watson and Eric Stokes were visiting Badger Athletic Performance to help find the root cause of their hamstring injuries.

Watson and Stokes dealt with the most significant and ongoing issues, but hamstring injuries became a concern across the roster, prompting head coach Matt LaFleur to rebuild his strength and conditioning staff, a move that has already had an impact.

The Packers know how important Watson is to this offense. When fully healthy, he is a game-changer.

Beyond his impact when the ball comes his way, Watson changes the way defenses gameplan for the Packers. He wasn't even fully healthy in the playoff win over the Dallas Cowboys, but then-defensive coordinator Dan Quinn was so terrified of getting beat deep that he often had multiple defenders following Watson. It resulted in wide-open space for Romeo Doubs to dominate, catching six passes for 151 yards and a touchdown.

Watson's rare combination of size, speed, and athleticism gives him unlimited upside. We've seen glimpses. If he can stay healthy, the Packers' offense could become unstoppable.

The early reports are encouraging.

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