Green Bay Packers fans are patiently waiting for the 2025 debut of veteran wide receiver Christian Watson, who returned to practice earlier this month from a torn ACL and had his 21-day practice window opened up on Oct. 6.
In mid-to-late September, Watson told reporters that he feels good and can run, cut, and plant on his knee, per Ryan Wood of the Green Bay Press-Gazette. When he officially returned to practice, the veteran receiver didn’t give a specific date for his debut, but made it clear that when he feels 100%, that will be his sign to play.
On Thursday, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur gave an update on Watson, telling reporters in attendance that he “looks great” in practice, and “we’ll see” if he’s activated for Sunday’s game, per ESPN’s Rob Demovsky.
According to Demovsky, LaFleur added this little nugget about Watson. “Just trying to build up to where we feel comfortable, and he does.”
Packers Still Uncertain When Christian Watson Will Make 2025 Debut
On one hand, it's good to see LaFleur and Watson on the same page about what and how he needs to do to get back on the field. When the Packers unveiled their initial Week 7 injury report, Watson was listed as limited.
Ahead of their matchup last week against the Cincinnati Bengals, Watson was limited at practice for all three days before ultimately being ruled out. Therefore, we could infer that the Packers’ staff likely wants to see Watson be a full participant in practice very soon, which could give him the green light to play.
That said, Green Bay and Watson are slowly running out of time as his 21-day window will close on October 27. If Watson doesn’t play against the Arizona Cardinals on Sunday, it leaves Week 8 against the Pittsburgh Steelers (26th) as the next possible option for the veteran wide receiver to be activated.
The Packers’ WR unit has fared well without Watson and Jayden Reed thus far. Romeo Doubs has stepped up, and rookie Matthew Golden is slowly starting to make plays. At the same time, having the speed of Watson back on the field will make Green Bay’s offense that much more difficult to defend.
Opposing defenses will have to pick their poison of trying to keep Golden and Watson in front of them, while worrying about Doubs and tight end Tucker Kraft. If you’re the Packers, this will be a great problem to have.
However, first things first, the veteran wideout has to log a couple of full practices and show he’s comfortable playing at full speed against different competition.