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The Green Bay Packers are clearly pleased with the status of Christian Watson’s recovery from a torn ACL. The wide receiver suffered that injury in the Packers’ Wild Card playoff game in January and began practicing this week, the first time he was eligible to do so after starting the regular season on the Physically Unable to Perform list. That’s a very encouraging sign, and it led to some speculation that he might be ready to play immediately on Sunday when the Packers host the Cincinnati Bengals.
However, head coach Matt LaFleur said on Friday that Watson will not be activated for Sunday’s game. However, that’s not a bad thing, as he went on to compliment Watson on his work so far this week:
“Christian Watson won’t play this week but he has looked pretty damn good. I’m excited for when that day comes.”
As LaFleur’s comment makes clear, this is no setback for Watson. Practically speaking, it would be unreasonable to expect him to be ready to play after having just one week of practice, since he has been doing nothing but rehab work for the last several months.
However, when Watson does return — and that is clearly a when, not an if, provided he does not have any setbacks — he will bring his unique combination of size and speed back to the Packers’ receiving corps. The team deploys him as a deep threat and as a run-blocker equally when healthy, and his physical tools allow him to be effective at both roles in a way that no other wideout on the roster can.
It may still be another week or two before the team elects to activate Watson to the active roster, but that time is coming. PUP rules specify that a team must activate a player from the PUP within 21 days of him beginning his practice window. Even if they wait the absolute maximum amount of time, Watson should be back on the 53 no later than week 9 against the Carolina Panthers.
