Packers Get Very Encouraging Update On 1600-Yard Injury-Plagued Receiver

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Green Bay Packers receiver, Christian Watson, against the Miami Dolphins. November 28, 2025.

The Green Bay Packers receiving corps is in the best place its been since the days of Davante Adams and Jordy Nelson nearly a decade.

Yet perhaps the franchise’s most physically gifted pass-catching weapon, Christian Watson, remains sidelined with an an ACL tear suffered in January against the Chicago Bears.

General manager, Brian Gutekunst, has openly stated that he expects the former 34th overall pick to miss at least half of the 2025 regular season. However, a video released on Friday on Watson’s instagram story shows the Packers wideout in rather excellent condition given his severe injury just six months prior.

Christian Watson just posted this on his Instagram story. He’s running routes, cutting and hitting pretty close to full speed. pic.twitter.com/ZSLQwbuUzV

— zach jacobson (@zacobson) June 20, 2025

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Pack-A-Day podcast host and Bleacher Report contributor for the Packers, Andy Herman, also had some generous comments for the impressive video coming out on Watson.

Absolutely freakazoid alien stuff from Christian Watson. I’m still tempering expectations on a timeline, because you never know with this stuff, but this seems like a pretty damn good sign as of right now. https://t.co/yYRaCf393i

— Andy Herman (@AndyHermanNFL) June 20, 2025

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What Is A Reasonable Timeline To Set For Christian Watson’s Return To Action

No one quite knows, but it does seem likely that the North Dakota State alum will miss at least some of the forthcoming season.

Speaking in an interview in May, Watson gave fans and the team some positive news regarding his

“I’ve gotten a lot in my life but there’s still a lot of things that I want, so I’m going to keep on fighting for it.”

Packers wide receiver Christian Watson discussed battling injuries throughout his NFL career and how rehab is going for his torn ACL. #Packers pic.twitter.com/bWxjdD8u1U

— Ellie French (@elliefrenchTV) May 4, 2025

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“Recovery’s going really well. I’m in a really, really good spot,” Watson said in early May. “I got a couple more months ahead of me, but I’m attacking it every day. I’m in a really good spot.”

But there is still a lot of unknowns in the future of his recovery. And with his truly abysmal injury record since entering the pros three years ago, nothing is guaranteed with #9, sadly.

What Does Watson Mean To The Packers’ Offense?

Unfortunately, probably not as much as he did a couple of months ago, before the team drafted wideouts Matthew Golden and Savion Williams in the first and third rounds of the 2025 NFL Draft back in April.

Entering the final year of his deal, many have wondered whether Watson will even play another snap in a Green Bay outfit. But if he can be an impactful player upon his return, there is always the possibility that the Packers could opt to bring him back if a team-friendly deal is on the table.

Right now, Golden, Jayden Reed and Romeo Doubs looks to feature as the starters, with Williams and former fifth round pick, Dontayvion Wicks the high-impact backups.

It is not out of the question that Watson could beat out one of the three starting receivers when he gets back to full fitness, but it could take him longer than just half of the regular season to get back to his very best, which has already been inconsistent throughout his three-year tenure in Wisconsin.

Daniel Arwas Daniel Arwas is a sports writer who covers the NFL for Heavy.com. Daniel began his career in sports writing in 2022 and has covered the NFL and college football for Gridiron Heroics and The Hammer. More about Daniel Arwas