GREEN BAY, Wis. — With organized team activities underway in Green Bay, the Packers are entering Phase III of the offseason program, starting with their return to the field on Tuesday and followed by a practice session on Wednesday that was open to local media.
It offered the first glimpse behind the curtain of the team the Packers will carry into the 2025 campaign. Wednesday's practice also offered an opportunity to see just where Christian Watson is in his recovery from a torn anterior cruciate ligament that he sustained in last year's regular-season finale.
So far, so good.
"Christian's doing outstanding," said head coach Matt LaFleur after practice. "I would say he's ahead of schedule, but again, I'm not a doctor. I'm not medical staff."
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Watson, who is entering a contract year with the Packers, took part in the opening stretch period of practice and even did some light jogging, but that was it. He was one of 11 players present on the practice field, but not participating. The others included defensive tackles Nesta Jade Silvera, Warren Brinson and Kenny Clark, defensive ends Collin Oliver and Jeremiah Martin, linebacker Quay Walker, safety Javon Bullard, running back MarShawn Lloyd, tight end John Fitzpatrick and wide receiver Jadon Janke.
Cornerbacks Jaire Alexander and Tyron Herring, kicker Brandon McManus and offensive linemen Elgton Jenkins and John Williams weren't in attendance at all.
A handful of those players were dealing with unspecified injuries of their own, however, LaFleur wasn't concerned, saying, "I don't anticipate anything too long-term with any of those guys."
Any bits of news regarding Watson's status should be taken with a grain of salt. This is the time of year where every player is in the best shape of their careers and every injured player is tackling their rehab and beating the clock. He's returning from a significant knee injury that was—and still is—expected to keep him out for a large chunk of the upcoming season. That's still going to wind up being the case, and even once he's cleared to return to the lineup, the Packers are undoubtedly going to ease him back into action.
For someone whose speed is his greatest asset, there's no telling just how Watson will look when he's available again. At the moment, there's no one else in the Packers' arsenal who can command attention from the opposing secondary the way Watson can—he's a rare breed, despite not always filling a stat sheet. Even when he isn't seeing double-digit targets in the passing game, his vertical presence alone is enough to create opportunities elsewhere in the Packers' passing attack.
In 15 games last season, Watson caught 29 passes for a career-high 620 yards and a pair of touchdowns. Of players with at least 50 targets last season, the 21.4 yards per reception that Watson averaged was second in the league behind the Indianapolis Colts' Alec Pierce.
The best-case scenario is that the Packers will have Watson available for the second half of the season ahead of what will be a likely playoff push. They spent the No. 23 overall pick on Matthew Golden after a 23-year drought with no first-round wideouts and he's going to take some time to acclimate as well.
Zachary Jacobson is the Editor-in-Chief of Packer Report. He is entering his 11th season covering theGreen Bay Packers. He is a member of thePro Football Writers of America. Follow him on Twitter@zacobson or contact him via email atitszachariahj@gmail.com