The Green Bay Packers had their bye week early in the season, giving them some rest one month into the season. The break is over, though, and it's time for Matt LaFleur's team to get back to the weekly grind.
As the Packers prepare for the Cincinnati Bengals in Week 6, Christian Watson returned to practice on Monday. This is the first time he's practiced since tearing his ACL last season, marking the opening of his 21-day practice window, per Matt Schneidman of The Athletic.
While it's great to see him back out there, Watson hinted that his return to the gameday action most likely won't happen this week.
When speaking to reporters on Monday, Watson said he wants to play as soon as possible but knows there's some rust he needs to knock off as he gets back into football shape. Zach Kruse of the Packers Wire pointed out a potentially effective plan that could see Watson take the field in Week 7, also theorizing that Watson will practice this week, sit on Saturday, and then return to the practice field again next week before playing against the Arizona Cardinals.
Packers WR Christian Watson Likely Won’t Play in Week 6
Using the next two weeks to get valuable practice reps in should be enough time to get back in shape and be able to take the field for the Packers. Watson revealed he's been running and cutting for the last two months and has 100% confidence in his surgically repaired knee.
These are all the right things that fans want to hear, but the next step is getting him up to speed. The Packers are double-digit point favorites against the Bengals across multiple sportsbooks (plus-14.5 on FanDuel Sportsbook), so there isn't any rush to have him return this week.
The Packers should be able to handle business fairly easily against this Bengals team and don't need Watson to do so. Practicing for two weeks before heading to play the Cardinals seems like a reasonable plan, as Kruse called out.
The Packers already have Jayden Reed on injured reserve with a foot and collarbone injury, but getting Watson back would be a nice lift to his passing attack. In 38 career games with Green Bay, the 26-year-old has 98 catches for 1,653 receiving yards and 14 touchdowns. He's also averaging 16.9 yards per reception, highlighting his big-play ability.
Getting on the practice field was a great first step for Watson, especially for his season-long outlook, yet fans shouldn't expect to see him suit up against Cincinnati.