The Green Bay Packers are bracing to potentially spend the next few weeks without wide receiver Christian Watson in the lineup.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, Watson suffered a high-ankle sprain during Week 4’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings that will expectedly sideline him for “multiple weeks.” Rapoport added Watson is also a candidate to land on the injured reserve list.
Watson sprained his ankle trying to make a reception late in the first quarter after quarterback Jordan Love had tried to squeeze a short pass through tight coverage to him on third-and-7, but Watson’s foot was pinned and his leg twisted beneath Vikings linebacker Kamu Grugier-Hill as the latter picked off Love’s pass.
The Packers briefly evaluated Watson’s ankle on the sideline before carting him off to the locker room. He did not return for the remainder of the 31-29 loss to the Vikings.
Packers head coach Matt LaFleur said he did not have any concrete updates on Watson’s status on September 30. (He has said he intentionally does not talk to the team’s training staff before his Monday media availability to avoid withholding information from reporters.) He did indicate, however, that Watson will “most likely” miss at least Week 5’s game.
“I think we’ll know more in the next couple of days,” LaFleur said Monday of Watson’s injury. “I would assume he’d probably be out, most likely, at least a week or so.”
Christian Watson’s Latest Ankle Injury Casts Long Shadow
Watson’s new ankle injury is only the latest in a series of bad breaks for the Packers’ third-year wide receiver dating back to before his rookie season in 2022.
Watson — the No. 34 pick in the 2022 NFL draft — missed the majority of his first NFL training camp with the Packers after undergoing knee surgery in the offseason. He then missed three games as a rookie with hamstring issues and the majority of a fourth game after sustaining a concussion in the first quarter of Week 8 against the Buffalo Bills.
Things only got worse for Watson on the injury front in his second season. He injured his hamstring again toward the end of 2023’s training camp, costing him the first three games of the season. He later re-injured his hamstring against the Kansas City Chiefs in Week 13 and missed the remainder of the regular season; though, he did return for the team’s playoff run and played in at least 40% of offensive snaps in both games.
While Watson said he believed he found a fix for his recurring hamstring issues during the 2024 offseason, it does nothing to help him with his current lower-body injury and what it could mean for his long-term future. The Packers have him under contract until after the 2025 season, but they essentially spent two second-round picks on him when they traded up for him in 2022 and have not seen nearly enough return on investment.
Watson can still flip the injury narrative once he returns from his high-ankle sprain, but he will need to start solidifying himself as a dynamic and reliable playmaker if he wants to avoid the Packers turning away from him in favor of other receiving options.
Packers Confident in WRs if Christian Watson Misses Time
LaFleur spoke with certainty when it came to a question about his confidence in the rest of the receiving corps.
The Packers leaned on Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks and Romeo Doubs after Watson exited, but they also drew up a few plays for backup receivers Bo Melton and Malik Heath. Melton made a 28-yard reception in the fourth quarter, while Heath hauled in both of his targets for 12 yards against the Vikings.
“I think all of those guys, they always put the work in at practice,” LaFleur said Monday. “So I’ve got confidence in any of those guys going in there and doing the job and doing it at a winning level.”
Wicks is the most likely receiver to see an uptick in playing time during Watson’s time away. The 2023 fifth-round pick received more targets (13) against the Vikings than he had in the first three games combined (nine) and made the most of his opportunities, catching five passes for 78 yards and two touchdowns to help fuel the comeback bid. He is the logical choice to start in place of Watson until the latter returns to the field.
