Packers' Christian Watson has answers for hamstring issues

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson has missed 11 games due to injury over his first two NFL seasons.

The 25-year-old missed eight contests alone during the 2023 campaign because of a pulled right hamstring.

Watson was sent to a "special lab" in March to tackle the problem and returned with some answers. ESPN's Rob Demovsky reported in a piece published Friday that the North Dakota State product discovered during his eight hours of testing at the University of Wisconsin's School of Medicine and Public Health that the "key" for him is "symmetry."

Demovsky reported that "tests showed a muscle imbalance in his legs, which likely contributed to his problems."

"For me, it really was the asymmetry between the legs," Watson said, per Demovsky's report. "It comes from a lot of things. Obviously, the issues I've had in the past with hamstrings, not fully recovering from those strength-wise. I've been attacking the strength side of it, trying to get that symmetry back and it's been huge for me. I feel really, really good. I gotta continue grinding at it."

According to the report, the 2022 second-round pick was a full participant in the team's first offseason practice open to the media on Tuesday and "moved in and out of his breaks with explosiveness and without hesitation while he made several down-the-field catches during team and 7-on-7 work."

Even with the missed time in 2022, Watson led the Packers in touchdowns (seven) while finishing second in receiving yards (611) as a rookie.

In quarterback Jordan Love's first season as the starting signal-caller, Watson was a favorite end-zone target of his. The former 34th overall pick ended the 2023 campaign ranked third on Green Bay in touchdown receptions (five) while finishing fourth in receiving yards (422) despite missing half of the season.