The Green Bay Packers have one of the best offenses in football. Through five weeks, they rank top 10 in EPA/play, total EPA, passing EPA, success rate, and points per game — all while missing All-Pro-caliber right tackle Zach Tom and $77 million guard Aaron Banks up front, as well as Jayden Reed and Christian Watson for multiple games.
“Obviously, I was super anxious to just be able to get back to football,” Watson said on Monday. “It meant a lot to me to be able to get out there.”
Green Bay had a much-needed early bye week to get healthy. Tom and Banks returned to practice on Monday, but the biggest positive update might be in the receiving corps.
Nine months after tearing his ACL in Green Bay’s 2024 regular-season finale against the Chicago Bears, Watson also returned to practice on Monday when the Packers officially opened his 21-day practice window.
Watson can spend the next three weeks working his way back while remaining on the PUP list. Green Bay can choose to activate him at any point during that span, but if they don’t make a move within 21 days, he’ll be shifted to injured reserve — ending his season before it begins.
“We’ll see,” LaFleur said last week about Watson potentially returning against the Cincinnati Bengals. “I don’t know, I think we’re a ways out from that, so we’ll have a better indication, I would say, Monday.”
Throughout the offseason, everyone inside the Packers’ organization, including Matt LaFleur, was reportedly impressed with how Watson handled his recovery. He’s been running at full speed for weeks. He has been cutting and running routes for at least two months, an incredible turnaround considering the severity of the injury he suffered in January.
There’s a chance Watson sees some action against the Bengals on Sunday. However, if he does, it’ll likely be on a snap count. The Packers have historically taken a cautious approach with players coming back from injury, and there’s no scenario where they’ll give Watson a heavy workload unless they’re fully confident he’s 100%. Given how vital he is to LaFleur’s offense, Green Bay won’t take any unnecessary risks.
Last season, Watson led the Packers in yards per route run and posted a career-high average depth of target. He also topped the team with 277 yards against man coverage — far ahead of any other receiver. His ability to stretch the field vertically and beat man coverage is one of his most underrated traits.
Even without Watson on the field, Jordan Love has kept Green Bay’s passing game productive. On plays against man coverage (minimum 25 plays), he ranks top 10 in EPA per play, total EPA, passing EPA, and success rate. Furthermore, he leads all quarterbacks in passing touchdowns. Now, the Packers will slowly get their most reliable man-beater and deep-threat option back.
One of the underrated benefits of Watson’s return is how it helps the offense schematically. With him out wide as the Z receiver stretching the field, it opens up a ton of room for everyone else. That’s a huge boost for Matthew Golden, allowing him to line up and play like a true X receiver, like he did back in Texas. Together, these two bring so much speed that opposing defenses will have trouble matching up against both of them.
In early September, the Packers and Watson agreed to a one-year, $13.25 million contract extension, keeping him with the organization through the 2026 season. The deal was a win for both sides. Watson will gradually return from injury and have the opportunity to play a full season in 2026 before potentially entering free agency. For Green Bay, it means they get to keep one of their most dynamic playmakers for at least two more seasons.
A healthy Christian Watson is only going to make LaFleur’s playbook even more dangerous. He’s loved around 1265 as a player and as a person — no surprise there. If the Packers want to make a serious playoff run in 2025, it’s going to be with No. 9 at the center of the offense. Just having him back on the field makes everyone around him better, and Green Bay can’t get him back soon enough.
