Christian Watson is getting closer. He is practicing with the team every day. His window to come off the PUP list is open. There was even talk of the possibility of playing against the Cardinals on Sunday. He will, of course, be a welcome addition to a Green Bay Packers offense that has struggled to be consistent.
Much has been written and said about how much the team has missed Watson, his speed and ability to stretch the field and threaten defenses deep. But I would submit he is not the receiver whose absence has hurt the Packers the most. That would be Jayden Reed. The third year veteran out of Michigan State has been out since breaking his collar bone in the first quarter against Washington in week two.
Despite being in the league a year less than Watson, Reed’s per-game stats look better across the board. Watson (38) has played in three more games than Reed (35). Yet Reed has more total receiving yards, more touchdown receptions, more catches per game, and more receiving yards per game (Pro Football Reference). Perhaps even more poignant, Reed has a catch percentage of 70 percent, compared to Watson’s 57 percent. In fairness, many of Watson’s targets have been long bombs on which he had little if any chance to make the play. But even that caveat reflects the reality that Reed was the target quarterback Jordan Love relied upon more often in that clutch short to middle ground range.
Matt LaFleur has frequently used both Watson and Reed on jet sweeps. Reed has been more effective there as well, averaging 9.1 yards per rush, to Watson’s 7.6.
Reed has been impressively productive ever since he first put on the shoulder pads for the green and gold. As a rookie in 2023 he led the Packers in receiving yards and tied Romeo Doubs for the team lead in touchdown catches. In his second year, he once again led the team in reception yardage, and led all wide receivers in scores, finishing one behind tight end Tucker Kraft in overall stats. He also returned punts, although that was clearly not his strong suit.
Even on the play in which he was injured, he was productive. Love, under heavy pressure, launched a bit of a prayer into the corner of the end zone. But Reed made a spectacular catch, tapped his feet inside the line, and then was shoved out of bounds, landing hard on his shoulder. The acrobatic effort went for naught because of a penalty, and Reed slumped to the sideline in obvious pain. He hasn’t been back since.
The diagnosis was confirmed a few days later. Reed had broken the collarbone. He underwent surgery, and his down time was estimated at six to eight weeks. That was five weeks ago. While Watson's return is more imminent, the Packers are hoping Reed can play again around mid-November. They would especially like to have both Watson and Reed back for what is shaping up as a critical division showdown at Detroit on Thanksgiving day.
At least one good thing may have come from his injury. When the season began Reed had a Jones fracture in his foot. That’s the long bone on the outside of the foot that connects to the pinky toe. It can be extremely painful and sore, but it can be wrapped up so as to allow an athlete to run and change direction. Reed had decided to play through the injury for the season, and it didn’t seem to impair him in week one, where he caught three balls for 45 yards and a touchdown against the Lions. But after the collarbone injury, since he was going to be out anyway, he decided to have the Jones fracture surgically repaired as well. This likely puts him at the far end of his recovery estimate, but it’s not season-ending.
The vision of a healthy Green Bay receiving core is tantalizing. Watson, Reed, Doubs, the rapidly-developing Matthew Golden, Dontayvion Wicks and Malik Heath all out there running routes is euphoria for a play caller, and a potential nightmare for defensive coordinators.
The return of Christian Watson is most welcome. But the Packers miss Jayden Reed even more.