Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson returned to practice on Monday, 274 days after tearing his ACL against the Chicago Bears in last year’s regular season finale. It’s been a rapid recovery for the Packers’ deep threat, whose designation to return from injured reserve begins a 21-day window in which he can practice before being activated to the team’s 53-man roster.
If it were up to him, Watson would play in this Sunday’s matchup against the Cincinnati Bengals. However, that may not be the smart move coming off a significant knee injury.
“I always want to play,” Watson said Monday. “But, at the end of the day, obviously, I want to be as smart as possible, too. So, if you were to ask me that on Friday after I got a couple good workdays in, then probably be a little bit more confident. But I just want to stack days. As long as I continue to feel good, obviously, my goal is to play as soon as possible.”
Even if Watson doesn’t play in Week 6, the fact that he’s nearing his return is a positive development for Green Bay’s offense. In 13 games last season, he averaged 21.4 yards per catch, which would have ranked second in the entire NFL if he had enough receptions to qualify. In addition to creating explosive plays, scoring has also been much easier with Watson on the field. Since Week 10 of the 2023 season, the Packers have averaged 28.8 points per game with Watson compared to 23.8 without him.
The Packers obviously place a ton of value in what Watson brings to the offense. Otherwise, they wouldn’t have signed him to a one-year contract while he was still on the PUP list to keep him in Green Bay through the 2026 season.
So, how did it feel being back on the practice field on Monday?
Watson admitted that he did a lot of the same stuff in terms of route running that he had been doing in rehab, but said he has 100 percent trust moving around on his surgically repaired knee. Now, it’s just about knocking off the rust.
“I’d say the only hurdle is getting live reps and getting back into everything,” Watson said. “Just knocking the rust off, getting back into full football mode, live bullets.”
One of the final hurdles for Watson will be participating in team drills, which he didn’t do on Monday. The Packers first want to see how he responds to individual drills.
As far as when he expects to make his 2025 debut, Watson said he doesn’t have an exact return date in mind, but is more focused on stacking good days.
“I just need to continue to stack days,” he said. “If I can stack a week of feeling 100 percent, then I’m sure that confidence will come and I’ll be ready to go.”
This article originally appeared on Packers Wire: No return date set, but Christian Watson felt ‘100 percent’ in first practice since ACL tear
Reporting by Brandon Carwile, Packers Wire / Packers Wire
USA TODAY Network via Reuters Connect
