Chrisitan Watson 'looks great' but Packers preaching patience in return from ACL
Watson injured his knee in the 2024 regular season finale and is beginning training camp on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list. While the Packers are encouraged with where he's at, the team won't rush his return.
"He's a freak, he did a run test the other day and looks great," general manager Brian Gutekunst said Wednesday. 'Again, it's an ACL, and it's his second one, so we're going to take our time with it."
Watson was in uniform and even rode a bike to practice on Wednesday, the first day of training camp. But his return isn't close.
In fact, Gutekunst said Watson will not practice in full at any point during training camp, which all but confirms he will begin the regular season on the PUP list and miss at least four games. It's possible he'll miss even more regular season games if the Packers stay conversative in his recovery timeline.
Returning from ACL surgery typically requires a 9-12 month recovery timeline. Given this is Watson's second ACL injury, the Packers may want to push his return more towards the backend of the typical timeline to ensure he has full strength and mobility.
Watson, who has an elite combination of speed and size, caught 29 passes for 620 yards and two touchdowns across 15 games last season. He averaged 21.4 yards per catch and 11.4 yards per target, both career highs.
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