Green Bay Packers fans have been awaiting wide receiver Christian Watson's return since the start of the season. Beginning the 2025 campaign on the PUP list as he recovers from the ACL injury he suffered last season, Watson's 21-day practice window was opened on October 6th. Despite being a full participant in practice since then, the 26-year-old WR missed the last two weeks of action. Now, it sounds like he is finally ready to return to the field.
Watson spoke to the media on Wednesday and revealed that his "goal and plan is to play this week," per The Athletic's Matt Schneidman. He added that he has been preparing to play every week, but the conversations he had with the team this week are pointing towards him making his season debut against the Steelers on Sunday.
Christian Watson Preparing to Make Season Debut in Week 8 vs. Steelers
Before suffering the ACL tear in the final week of the season, Watson had emerged as the league's most elite deep threats, averaging 21.4 yards per reception and 17.8 average depth of target. He played a large role in the Packers' ability to move the ball downfield, even though he himself was only able to score twice all season.
The Packers notably have a stacked wide receiver room, making Watson's return a fascinating question for head coach Matt LaFleur. Romeo Doubs has been leading the way in targets, but Jordan Love has been spreading the ball all season, with Matthew Golden and Dontayvion Wicks also averaging over two catches per game. Even though Watson could create a problem of having too many mouths to feed, none of the receivers on the roster can match the breakaway speed and the deep threat ability of Watson. This element should give Love another weapon in specific situations.
How big a role Watson will immediately have, starting in Week 8, remains to be seen. A road game at Pittsburgh isn't the ideal environment to return from a long absence, especially with the ongoing issues with the turf at Acrisure Stadium. Players have been complaining about the poor conditions of the grass all season, potentially increasing the risk of injury. Packers fans are also all too familiar with Jordy Nelson suffering a torn ACL in Pittsburgh ten years ago, with plenty of blame going to the stadium conditions.
Obviously, if Watson and the coaching staff decided that he is ready to go, that's the only thing that matters. Slowly integrating him into the offense in limited snaps makes the most sense, but whose expense even that is going to come will be a fascinating storyline in the second half of the season.