The Green Bay Packers demonstrated resilience in the absence of Aaron Rodgers, securing a playoff berth with Jordan Love at the helm. As part of their commitment to success in the upcoming season as well, they opted to part ways with veteran player David Bakhtiari due to ongoing injury concerns.
Nevertheless, the Packers are committed to retaining Christian Watson despite facing injury challenges throughout the previous season. Recently, the team’s coach disclosed the approach they are taking to address the receiver’s issues.
Matt LaFleur talks about a Packers solution to Christian Watson injury problem
The Packers are actively addressing the injury concerns surrounding wide receiver Christian Watson, as explained by Coach Matt LaFleur this week, by sending the receiver to special lab.
“They’ve got some special lab there or whatever that all the medical guys can give you the better diagnosis on [Watson],” LaFleur said.
The Packers’ head coach also expressed the team’s efforts in exploring various avenues to understand Watson’s injury and deal with it in a better way.
“But yeah, we’ve looked at a lot of different things in terms of just his body comp and maybe areas that were stronger than others to try to help get us in front of that.”
According to Watson’s father, Tazim Wajid Wajed, there is a glimmer of hope because cooperating specialists have reportedly found the cause of his issues. This discovery will enable Watson to undergo a more targeted treatment plan.
The Packers pocketed him in 2022 by trading two second-round picks to acquire Watson with the 34th overall pick. But since his rookie season, his athleticism has been marred by injury struggles.
He missed a game due to a hamstring strain and returned prematurely, exacerbating the injury and leading to additional missed games. Unfortunately, the situation worsened last season.
Christian Watson shined last season despite injury
Christian Watson had a difficult 2023 season characterized by frequent hamstring injuries that kept him out for a total of eight games. Nevertheless, the Packers receiver displayed flashes of brilliance, accumulating 28 receptions for 422 yards and scoring five touchdowns over the course of his second season in the NFL.
Watson’s on-field chemistry with quarterback Jordan Love was evident before his injuries, as highlighted by his strong performances against the back-to-back Super Bowl winner Kansas City Chiefs and in a three-game stretch where he amassed a total of 186 yards and four touchdowns, per Madison.
Unfortunately, another hamstring injury sustained during the Chiefs game ended his promising run, forcing him to miss the following four games.
He still managed to rank closely behind Jayden Reed in receiving yards per game, showcasing his impact within the Packers’ receiving corps despite missing significant playing time.
Yet, his return for the playoffs saw limited involvement in the offense, with just two receptions for 20 yards across two postseason games.
As he continues to recover and fine-tune his game, Green Bay fans eagerly anticipate Watson’s continued growth and impact on the field, in the upcoming season.
