After a promising rookie season, Packers’ WR Christian Watson has yet to make his 2023 season debut. The 24-year-old is dealing with a hamstring injury that kept him sidelined for the first two games. Luckily, Green Bay has some other WRs that can fill his place in the meantime.
Watson was practicing on Wednesday before leaving early and was not seen practicing on Thursday for the Packers. He did individual drills at Wednesday’s practice and his status for Week 3 is still unknown. The hamstring injury is serious enough that he had to miss two games already. It will be three if he’s unable to play this Sunday vs. the Saints.
Christian Watson was a second-round draft pick by the Packers in 2022
Aaron Jones is participating in Thursday’s padded practice at Hinkle.
Lukas Van Ness continued to practice with a sleeve on the elbow.
Christian Watson, Zayne Anderson, David Bakhtiari and Elgton Jenkins are not practicing #Packers pic.twitter.com/L1FPUZ3DVO
— Wes Hodkiewicz 🌎 (@WesHod) September 21, 2023
At Wednesday’s practice, head coach Matt LaFleur would not give a solid answer for Christian Watson’s status. The fact that he practiced on Wednesday and did not on Thursday could be concerning for some Packers fans. LeaFleur said his status on Thursday would be integral in determining whether he can play on Sunday. Not practicing today says a lot for his game status on Sunday vs. the Saints.
With Aaron Rodgers as his QB last season, Watson had a strong rookie year. He had 41 catches for 611 yards and seven touchdowns. Their leading receiver this season is Aaron Jones with 86 yards receiving yards on two catches. He did that all in Week 1 vs. the Bears. Along with Watson, Jones is dealing with a hamstring injury. They both missed the Packers’ Week 2 matchup vs. the Falcons that the team lost, 25-24.
WR Christian Watson (hamstring) did not return. He tried yesterday but apparently wasn’t ready yet. pic.twitter.com/KGHyrYWe2T
— Tom Silverstein (@TomSilverstein) September 21, 2023
Romeo Doubs and Jaylen Reed are tied with a team-leading six catches this season. However, Reed has been targeted 13 times compared to Doubs’ eight. Without Watson, the Packers are using a number of WRs to replace his production. At six-foot-five, Watson is a big-bodied target that is built for the red zone. That’s where he saw the most success as a rookie in 2022. If he’s not ready for Week 3, the Packers are not going to rush him back. They have a short turnaround in Week 4 for a matchup on TNF vs. the Lions.
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