The Green Bay Packers are not yet sure when wide receiver Christian Watson will return to the field following the torn ACL he sustained in January, but they are feeling encouraged about the progress he has made in his recovery thus far.
During this week’s OTAs, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur told reporters he believes Watson is “ahead of schedule” in his ACL recovery, offering some hope that the deep-threat wide receiver could return earlier in the 2025 season than originally expected.
“Christian is doing outstanding,” LaFleur said Wednesday. “I would say he’s ahead of schedule, but again, I’m not a doctor. I’m not medical staff, so we’ll see where he’s at.”
Watson will likely still miss games to begin the 2025 season, potentially even starting the year on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list — which would sideline him for at least the first four games. After all, he will be nine months out from his ACL injury when the Packers kick off their season against the Detroit Lions on September 7.
Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst even acknowledged the likelihood of Watson missing games while speaking with reporters at the NFL scouting combine in February.
“Obviously Christian is going to miss some time, probably, at the beginning, more than likely,” Gutekunst said. “That’s going to create opportunities for some guys on the roster that I’m excited for. We’ll see how that shakes out.”
Nevertheless, Watson’s swift progress in his recovery — if LaFleur’s eye is true — could give him the chance of playing more games than not in 2025. The 2022 second-round pick is entering the final year of his rookie contract and will need to do his best to put his injury history behind him if he wants the Packers to renew their interest for 2026.
Packers Can Stay Patient With Christian Watson’s Return
The Packers will happily take the win if Watson returns to the field early in the 2025 season, but they can afford to stay patient with him, given their new receiving depth.
The Packers added multiple wide receivers to their roster during the 2025 offseason, signing veteran Mecole Hardman Jr. in free agency and drafting Matthew Golden and Savion Williams in the first and third rounds of the 2025 NFL draft, respectively. On top of that, they also return Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed, Dontayvion Wicks, Bo Melton and Malik Heath to their receiving corps with tight end Tucker Kraft in the mix as well.
Put simply, the Packers are built to withstand a long wait with Watson, if necessary.
At a minimum, the Packers’ receiving depth makes it more likely than not that Watson will begin the season on one of their injury lists. They can shut him down for the short term and free up his roster spot for someone else while they wait for his full recovery.
The move is a no-brainer … unless Watson pulls off the extraordinary.
Will Packers Explore Trades With Other Receivers?
The Packers are swimming in capable wide receivers as they work through OTAs and may well want to keep it that way while they await Watson’s return from his injury.
If the competition is fierce enough to make decisions difficult at the 53-man roster cut deadline in August, though, the Packers could consider exploring their trade options.
Doubs is the most heavily rumored trade candidate for the Packers, but he is likely too valuable for them to ship off, even with him entering the last year of his rookie deal. With two years left of contract control, Wicks and Reed are also unlikely immune from trade discussion, unless one grows unhappy and tries to force his way out of Green Bay.
The bottom-roster spots are where things could get interesting. Melton and Heath have limited production in their NFL careers, but they could draw interest from teams with low waiver-wire priority if they shine in the preseason and look ready to contribute. Meanwhile, Hardman has become redundant after the Packers sunk two draft picks into wideouts in the spring and could fetch interest as a receiver and a return man.
