The Green Bay Packers haven’t had their full allotment of skills position players yet this season. Quarterback Jordan Love has been playing well despite having backups at several key positions on the offensive side of the ball.
One of the players that he has been without is wide receiver Christian Watson. Watson was expected to be the No. 1 option in this pass offense, poised for a breakout season with an expanding role heading his way. Unfortunately, a hamstring injury has gotten in the way of that.
The 2022 second-round pick was injured right before the league’s mandatory rest period between training camp and the regular season. He didn’t practice at all the first two weeks of the regular season but was able to get in some limited action last week ahead of Week 3 against the New Orleans Saints.
Ultimately it wasn’t enough to get him on the field as he ended up missing his third consecutive game to start the season. However, that could change in Week 4 when the Packers host the Detroit Lions at Lambeau Field.
Watson was asked whether or not he would be making his season debut on Thursday Night Football. Per Watson himself, he said that is the plan. Matt Schneidman of The Athletic shared the update on X, formerly known as Twitter.
This is excellent news for the Packers, who have struggled pushing the ball downfield through the first three weeks of the season, Explosive plays have been absent from their offense, and it certainly isn’t from a lack of pass protection.
Watson should bring that element to the table, even if he is somewhat limited in his first action of the regular season. If he is able to suit up, it will likely be Malik Heath and Dontayvion Wicks who see their roles scaled back.
Wicks has been solid taking over Watson’s role in the starting lineup alongside Romeo Doubs and Jayden Reed. It will be interesting to see how the coaching staff handles the inactive list as Heath has been playing special teams snaps while Wicks hasn’t.
