After a three-game winning streak, the Green Bay Packers have turned their season around and look to be in an excellent position to clinch a postseason spot. The offense found its groove during the latest stretch, giving the fans hope for the final month of the season and the playoffs.
The biggest surprise during the win streak has been wide receiver Christian Watson's emergence. After missing the first seven weeks of the season recovering from his ACL tear, Watson wasted no time before making an impact. In recent weeks, Watson has emerged as quarterback Jordan Love's most trusted target, changing the WR rotation entirely.
In the Thanksgiving win over the Lions, Watson led the team with 10 targets, converting those chances into four catches for 80 yards and a touchdown, improving his season totals to 21 catches, 363 yards, and three scores. Watson increased his average depth of target (ADOT) to 19.4 from 18.7 despite a long absence. He currently has a career-high 84.6 offensive grade on Pro Football Focus, also the highest grade among the healthy Packers wide receivers. In fact, it is the highest offensive grade on the team after Love (87.3) and Jayden Reed (89.9).
And as long as Watson continues to ball out down the stretch, the Packers' upcoming offseasion decisions will be even easier to make.
Christian Watson's Emergence as Packers' WR1 Will Pay Dividends in the Offseason
With tight end Tucker Kraft's season-ending injury, Watson and Romeo Doubs have emerged as the top pass-catching threats on the team. Dontayvion Wicks made the most of his opportunities against Detroit, catching six passes and scoring two touchdowns, but every other playmaker seems to be lower on the pecking order.
The crowded wide receiver room in Green Bay may have become more stratified during this stretch. Watson is in the midst of a career season and has hit a new level. With the Packers hoping Matthew Golden and Savion Williams to take a step forward next season, the wide receiver rotation is officially clearer than it was at the start of the campaign.
Doubs' contract is expiring at the end of the season. The Packers may be less willing to give him a lucrative long-term deal now, especially considering the looming return of Jayden Reed. Malik Heath and Bo Melton are also on expiring deals and may be less likely to return. Watson's emergence as a potential WR1 could even lead to a trade elsewhere in the receiver room, just to balance out the roster.
Perhaps Wicks, who will be an unrestricted free agent after 2026, will be the odd man out. Similar performances down the stretch like the one we saw in Week 13 would bolster his trade value, potentially helping the Packers address another area via trade.
When Watson is playing at this level, keeping all of Reed, Wicks, Doubs, and Golden makes very little sense. It almost guarantees a big offseason move for the Packers. Which direction general manager Brian Gutekunst goes will be fascinating to see.