Packers’ wide receiver Christian Watson finally thinks he found the solution to his lower-body woes.
GREEN BAY, WI– The Green Bay Packers have been in a pseudo-rebuild, if you could even call it that. A hyper-young offense with budding stars at the helm in Jordan Love and a cast of receivers who have yet to hit the end of their rookie contract have bastioned what turned out to be a surprise year for Green Bay in 2023 where the team made the Divisional Round and became the first No. 7 seed to ever win a playoff game.
Part of that receiver ensemble was 2022 second-round draft pick Christian Watson, who’s tangibles have mesmerized the Packers since his inception into the league. At 6’4″, 208 pounds, and having run a 4.36 40-yard dash at the NFL Combine, it was a obvious choice for a Packers team that was set to part was with Aaron Rodgers and who had rid themselves of superstar Davante Adams in ’22 to the Las Vegas Raiders.
This season, the Packers didn’t have a true WR1. Instead, they had a set of receivers who all made big plays and complemented each other well. Jayden Reed had monster games, but so did Dontayvion Wicks, and so did Romeo Doubs in the Wild Card Round. Out of all people, Bo Melton was the first Packers receiver to break 100 yards in a game this past season. Notably missing from that list is the aforementioned Watson who missed most of the 2023 season with lingering hamstring injuries.
Watson was only active for nine games this season, missing the first three games and the last five. He’s dealt with hamstring injuries nearly his entire NFL career, even in his premiere season where he missed three games– Green Bay went 1-2 over that stretch. Watson has shown flashes of being a breakout star, like in 2022 where he went on a eight touchdown tear over four games– showing his potential as a key contributor.
Last year Watson broke out briefly against Detroit and Kansas City totaling 175 yards and three touchdowns over that two game period. But on an end-around and after rushing for a first down, Watson dropped to the turf in pain. His hamstring again.
This offseason, Christian Watson and the Packers made it a priority to figure out the underlying cause of the problem– a journey which took Christian Watson to Madison to see a specialist. The cause, an imbalance in Watson’s legs. His right was much weaker than his left, which strained his left leg trying to overcompensate and also overexerted his right when aiming for equal strength. Reports have stated that Watson’s right is 20% weaker than his left, a number which the wide receiver says is dropping rapidly.
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“I’m feeling really good,” Watson said recently. “I say it probably every time I talk to you guys but I’m managing it day by day. I’m just trying to stay in the best spot mentally and physically each and every day. I’ve been feeling really good. I just gotta continue to build on that and continue to get that strength up … I definitely feel like I’m at 100 percent in terms of what I’m able to do on the football field right now.”
“I was obviously a little bit down in my right leg [compared] to the left,” Watson said. “One, it puts strain on the left side, and the left is going through a lot more. And then two, obviously when you’re trying to be equal in power, it obviously puts a lot more stress on the one that’s not as strong. So that’s been the No. 1 thing for me because that leads to fatigue as well. It’s a bad place to be, so obviously that’s been my No. 1 goal to just kind of eliminate that.”
The number now seems to be around the 10% mark as Christian Watson continues to work on rehabbing and strengthening the hamstring. For a wide receiver room so keen on not having a WR1, Watson has been as close as it gets– his physical abilities have turned him into a real threat when active, something the Packers would welcome with open arms.
“He’s incredibly bright, which allows us to move him all over the place,” head coach Matt LaFleur said. “Certainly, he brings the sheer size and physicality and speed that he possesses. You better know where he’s at at all times because all it takes is one play. If he gets a sliver of light, he’s able to outrun everybody on the defense, so yeah, he definitely changes and tilts the field in our favor when he’s out there.”
“I mean there’s still a little bit of asymmetry there,” Watson said. “And that’s just something that I’m attacking with the training staff in the weight room. But it’s not enough to hold me back from anything, obviously just got to continue to get that right so there’s not any risks in the future.”
In 2022, Watson racked up 422 yards on 28 receptions– an explosive 15.77 yards per reception. He also scored five touchdowns, meaning he scored nearly once every five catches. Christian Watson has been consistently the firecracker of this Packers’ offense, inconsistently. When he’s been healthy, Watson is a weapon– but his injury problems equates to trying to win the Daytona 500 with the parking brake on.
