The Green Bay Packers stink!
The supposedly easy part of their schedule is in the past. Now, the Packers are 3-6, with the Dallas Cowboys, Tennessee Titans, and Philadelphia Eagles on the docket. Yes, they could win a few games in the weak NFC, get the seventh seed, make the playoffs, and lose to the Atlanta Falcons in the wild-card round. However, it’s fairly safe to say the 2022 season is just about over.
The powers in Green Bay will have some tough decisions to make this offseason, and the spring will be just as tumultuous as it has been the past two seasons — maybe more so. For now, the Packers’ best option is to see what they have on the roster and who factors into the team’s long-term plans.
That should include making Christian Watson a more significant part of the game plan. Watson brings a physicality and skillset this offense desperately needs, but injuries and misuse have slowed his growth. With the Packers’ playoff hopes just about K.I.A., Matt LaFleur needs to either unleash Watson and evaluate what they have or shut him down to let him fully recover for a long career.
Watson is one of the most physically gifted wide receivers to enter the NFL, and he was an extremely “Packers” target. He’s highly athletic but still raw and a willing and eager blocker. He’s also able to play multiple roles in LaFleur’s offense and is a humble hard worker. Brian Gutekunst was willing to spend both of his second-round picks to acquire Watson after many expected the Packers to take Watson in the first round.
Watson’s detractors will point to the level of competition he faced and his usage at North Dakota State University. There were probably more NFL-ready receivers on the board when Green Bay started making selections, but the Packers have a long-term view on roster building, and Watson’s ceiling is sky-high.
Thus far, Watson’s start has been plagued by various injuries and being thrust into a Tyler Ervin-esque role. Watson missed training camp due to a knee injury that required surgery, and a tweaked hamstring kept him out of a few more games. Watson returned to the lineup against the Buffalo Bills but received a concussion after just one play. Once again, following his first taste of action against the Detroit Lions, Watson took a heavy hit. LaFleur confirmed Monday that Watson avoided a concussion, but the team (wisely) wanted to be cautious with a potential head injury.
Even when they’ve put him in the lineup, the Packers haven’t Watson truly unleashed him. On the first offensive play of 2022, Watson dropped what would have been a massive touchdown against the Vikings. He was mostly thrown into a jet-sweep role after that. While his speed is something every defensive coordinator needs to account for, it became clear the Packers weren’t going to play him deep for the most part.
On 121 snaps, Watson has caught 10 of his 14 targets for 88 yards and three rush attempts for 19 yards. His first NFL touchdown came on a 15-yard rush against the Patriots.
With Monday’s news that Watson cleared concussion protocol while Romeo Doubs will be sidelined for four to six weeks with a high ankle sprain, now is the time to truly unleash Watson. The Packers aren’t flush with healthy wide receivers right now. Lazard is playing hurt, Sammy Watkins has been a major disappointment since his return, Samori Toure is just starting to find some groove, and Amari Rodgers exists. The Packers need some juice, and Watson is the juicemonger.
If Aaron Rodgers is going to insist on shot plays and pushing the ball deep, let the speed freak they just spent two second-rounders on be the target. Sure, he might miss a few of them, but who on this roster is actually making catches? Watson may drop a few passes — it’s certainly something he needs to work on — but Packers fans quickly forget other notable wide receivers who overcame that issue (Davante Adams especially).
Watson may make some rookie blunders. However, Watkins is the veteran receiver the team signed not to make mistakes, and he’s making at least one mental error per week. Give the chance to your investment, not the guy on a one-year prove-it deal, especially given that he isn’t proving it.
Using Watson as intended opens the possibility of deploying Amari Rodgers in that Tyler Ervin role instead. You know, the thing he was drafted for.
LaFleur and Rodgers have talked about getting Watson more involved in the offense. So far, it simply hasn’t worked due to the rookie’s unfortunate injury luck. We saw Watson provide some juice on his lone play against Buffalo, and LaFleur said after that game he expected Watson to play a significant role.
If Watson is fully healthy, now is the time to build the offense around him. But if Watson can’t shake his injury luck, the inverse is true. It would be better to shelve Watson to preserve his long-term growth rather than risk a more severe injury. It’s not worth risking Green Bay Packers legend Bryce Young‘s No. 1 wideout’s health in a losing season.
This puts the Packers in an interesting conundrum. If he can stay healthy, he should be WR1 going forward. But if minor injuries keep stunting him, it’s worth shutting him down for the season, or at least putting him on IR, rather than risking aggravating an injury.
Watson is my pal, he’s my homeboy, my rotten soldier, my sweet cheese, my good-time boy. I want him to do well. He was a significant investment this off-season. Ideally, he will play a massive role in the future. Let him get NFL snaps with the future Hall of Famer and show what he can do, but don’t mortgage his future.
