Packers’ Christian Watson Updates Comeback from Torn ACL

While Green Bay Packers receiver Christian Watson is likely to open the regular season on the physically unable to perform list, his hopes are “high” that he’ll be back on the field without missing too much time this season.

“I’ve been pushing as hard as I can and letting the training staff pull me back from doing stuff,” Watson, who sustained a torn ACL on Jan. 5 against the Bears, said on Friday at Packers training camp. “Every time I’ve gotten to a new block, just getting through it really quick and feeling really good. I haven’t had any setbacks, so I’m just praying that continues. I’m in a really good spot.”

During minicamp last month, Watson was sprinting up and down the sideline. After minicamp, he posted a video of himself running routes and catching passes, signs that he is ahead of schedule in his comeback from an injury sustained less than seven months ago.

“Right now, I’m starting to ramp up into really getting into change-of-direction stuff over the past few weeks,” Watson said. “It’s really kind of just a feel thing in terms of getting to football, full-speed football movement. So, I’m really ramping up to that and I’m getting closer to getting back to that full-speed linear stuff. But I’ve started doing the change-of-direction stuff and that’s felt really good, as well.”

Injuries have been a big part of Watson’s career story, dating to a “pretty big surgery” at North Dakota State for a non-ACL knee injury. A second-round pick in 2022, Watson finished strong as a rookie to record 41 receptions for 611 yards and nine total touchdowns. Hamstring injuries, however, helped limit him to nine games in 2023.

Work with specialists in Madison helped Watson get past the hamstring injuries last year. He played in 15 games, missing Week 17 at Minnesota with a knee injury. He came back for Week 18 against Chicago, only to suffer the ACL during his 10th snap.

“It’s definitely rough. Especially the timing,” he said. “I don’t want to say always, because I’ve never had it before, but I’ve heard it’s always tough when an injury rolls into another season. You usually like to put the past season behind, but I’ve been handling it really well.

“I’ve always just relied on my faith and my family for support, and they’ve been with me the whole time. I’m just letting God’s plan run its course. I can’t do anything to change what happened. Obviously, when it happened and in that moment, I was definitely pretty beat up about it, but you’ve got to turn the corner quick and get something positive out of it. So, I’ve just been working and embracing the grind.”

The season carryover isn’t ideal, especially in Watson’s situation, as he enters his final season under contract. Despite his elite combination of physical tools, he has only 98 receptions in three seasons. Last year, he had a career high in yards because he averaged 21.4 yards per reception, but he caught only 29 passes – just one more than his injury-plagued 2023 – and scored a career-low two touchdowns.

However, he’s still tall. He’s still fast. He’s still willing to do the dirty work, as evidenced by the run-game production when he’s on the field.

Watson, as a competitor, no doubt wants to get on the field ASAP. The Packers and his agents would probably prefer to take a more cautious approach. At the start of camp, general manager Brian Gutekunst said Watson wouldn’t have a “full practice” during training camp.

“I think the entire league has an understanding and – especially in this building there’s an understanding – of what I’m able to provide for this team when I’m healthy. So, my mentality is just to get to a point to where I feel like I can go out there and do exactly what I do.

“Obviously, I want to play in as many games as possible. I hope it’s all of them, but I’ve got to take it as it is. Whether it’s 15 games or five games, I feel like as long as I’m able to go out there and just prove that I am what I was before the injury and be me, that the rest is going to take care of itself.”