Heading into the 2024 NFL season, Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson had many goals, most of which mirrored the team’s goals. Win games, get to NFL Playoffs, and compete for a Super Bowl. But one goal that he had that was to stay healthy all season long.
As fans will recall, Watson battled hamstring injuries during his first two seasons with the Packers. A visit to the University of Wisconsin in Madison during the offseason showed that one of his legs was significantly stronger than the other, causing overcompensation and, therefore, strains.
He worked hard to get his strength balanced and was able to stay healthy for most of the season. A defender falling on his knee late in the season caused him to miss a couple of games, but he did not suffer any soft tissue injuries.
It seemed that Watson had accomplished his goal. And in a sense he did. But then disaster struck.
Green Bay Packers Wide Receiver Christian Watson Tore His ACL in Week 18
After missing two games with a bruised knee, Watson decided he wanted to give it a go and play in the Packers’ Week 18 game against the Chicago Bears. Unfortunately, no one could have predicted what happened next.
Running a route in the first half, Watson went down clutching his knee. Almost immediately, everyone knew what had happened, and tests later confirmed the worst: he had torn his ACL.
Watson finished the year with 29 receptions, a career-high 620 receiving yards, and two receiving touchdowns. Despite the label put on him by many fans, he was Green Bay’s most surehanded wide receiver, dropping just two passes all year and having a drop percentage of just 3.8%.
Romeo Doubs (9.7%), Dontayvion Wicks (11.8%), and Jayden Reed (12.0%) were all among the league leaders in drop percentage.
The loss of Watson and the rest of their wide receivers’ drop issues prompted the Packers to draft Matthew Golden and Savion Williams in the 2025 NFL Draft.
Obviously, many expect Watson to miss the beginning of the 2025 NFL season due to the long recovery time for torn ACL’s. However, the Packers recently stated that the former second round pick, who is entering a contract year, is ahead of schedule in his recovery.
This led many to believe that Watson could be ready earlier than midseason, but his recent social media post has some thinking he could be back even before that:
As one can see, Watson just put three shushing face emojis on a picture of himself working out on a practice field. It is not clear if this really means he will be back earlier than expected, or if he is quietly preparing for an impressive season once he is fully recovered.
Perhaps both are true.
