The Green Bay Packers’ 11-game winning streak against the Chicago Bears ended after a 24-22 home loss last Sunday.
Matt LaFleur opted to play his healthy starters, even though Green Bay had already secured a playoff berth. The coaching staff held out injured players, except for Christian Watson.
Romeo Doubs was downgraded to questionable on the injury report due to an illness, leading many fans to believe Watson was active on Sunday to bolster Green Bay’s wide receiver depth. Watson played only 10 offensive snaps before suffering a torn ACL.
On Monday, LaFleur revealed Watson asked to be active if he practiced on Friday, which he did in a limited capacity. He wanted to be out there with his teammates and likely aimed to shake off rust before the postseason after missing Week 17 against Minnesota due to a knee injury he suffered against the New Orleans Saints.
Watson’s ACL tear will sideline him for the playoffs and may jeopardize his availability for the start of 2025. Regardless of his health, adding a deep threat should be a top priority for Green Bay this offseason.
Watson has missed 13 games over his three-year career but remains Green Bay’s most dynamic wideout. His presence elevates the offense, even when he isn’t heavily involved. In 2024, the receiving corps averaged 1.30 yards per route run (13th) and produced explosive plays on 2.4% of routes (19th) without him. With Watson on the field, those numbers surged to 1.67 yards per route run and a 3.7% explosive play rate, both ranking first in the league.
Watson is Green Bay’s top target against man coverage. He recorded 277 yards against man coverage in 2024. No other Packers wideout managed more than 173. He also averaged 7.3 yards after the catch per reception, while no teammate exceeded 3.6. Watson’s ability to create space inside the numbers by using his speed to draw both safeties deep is invaluable. That kind of contribution does not show up on the stat sheet, but the Packers highly value it.
Recovering from a torn ACL typically takes at least six months, leaving Watson’s return timeline uncertain. Brian Gutekunst will need to address his absence this offseason. Bo Melton might be an option for the deep-threat role, but the Packers are unlikely to give him more playing time than Jayden Reed, Doubs, or Dontayvion Wicks. Each player has logged over 300 pass snaps this season, while Melton has only 97.
A core element of LaFleur’s offense is attacking the middle of the field with play-action, a hallmark of the Kyle Shanahan coaching tree. Without Watson, the Packers lack a true deep threat to vertically stretch the defense and create space underneath for their intermediate and short-yardage players.
Green Bay will expect Watson to make a full recovery, but they need a deep-threat alternative. Availability is one of the best abilities of any NFL player, and Watson has struggled with staying healthy. It’s a shame, especially considering he’s the embodiment of a team player. Watson has never complained about the lack of targets and was always out there consistently delivering a run-blocking clinic each week. Unfortunately, injuries continue to affect a player so valuable to the organization.
According to Over the Cap, the Packers are expected to have over $60 million in cap space for 2025, though that number will likely decrease with extensions for players like Zach Tom and Rasheed Walker. Still, Gutekunst will have enough capital to be aggressive in free agency and the draft to address the position.
The story of Green Bay’s wide receiver room in 2024 has been their struggles to catch the football and get open against man coverage, which reflects on Jordan Love’s performance. After 17 weeks, Love ranked third in EPA/dropback against zone coverage but 29th against man.
The Packers need to make things easier for them, and one way to do so is by adding another reliable deep-threat option who can draw attention in the back end and open up space underneath for others to capitalize on yards after the catch. That would help get the passing game into rhythm and build confidence across the offense.
