“Chistian Watson was injured when he was “tugged” by a defender on a route.” – Matt LaFleur told reporters.
The Packers are without wide receiver Christian Watson, who could be placed on injured reserve
Christian Watson suffered a hamstring injury in Sunday’s game against New York and missed the entire week of practice.
He is now out of Sunday’s game between the Green Bay Packers and the New York Jets.
Watson’s injury isn’t the first he’s had to deal with this season. With a hamstring injury, he missed the Packers’ Week 3 game.
LaFleur did say on Friday that the team has discussed shutting Watson down for a while to allow this recurring injury to heal. That would, of course, mean putting Watson on injured reserve for at least four weeks.
Matt LaFleur, the coach, stated on Friday: “Yeah, I think that’s certainly on the table, we’ll see where he’s at. They are still doing some testing with him.”
One would think that his limited role to begin the season is due to all of his missed time during his rookie season. Watson’s role in the Packers offense has been minimal. Watson has averaged just under 20 snaps per game over his last three games after playing 40 snaps in Week 1.
His average target depth is only 6.5 yards, which is inflated by a few downfield pass attempts in Week 1. Watson’s touches are mostly behind the line of scrimmage.
Watson has elite speed but has been used primarily as a motion man, getting touches on jet sweeps or in the quick passing game.
Watson should be used in more ways, particularly as a downfield threat, which this Packers offense lacks. Because opponents are less afraid of being beaten over the top, they can crowd the line of scrimmage, making it more difficult to run the ball or rely on the quick passing game.
Watson has caught seven of eleven passes this season, averaging 7.4 yards per catch. He’s also had three rushes for 19 yards and a touchdown, and he’s been a willing blocker, as is typical of the Packers’ wide receiver position.
However, Watson’s speed, combined with defenses being wary of him getting touches behind the line of scrimmage, helps create running lanes for the backs as well as misdirection opportunities—something the Packers have taken advantage of this season.
With Watson out, the Packers could activate rookie Samori Toure on gameday, though I believe it is more likely that they will promote Juwann Winfree from the practice squad.
One thing to keep in mind with this move is that it will be Winfree’s third and final elevation of the season. If the Packers want him to be available in future weeks (after Week 6), he must be added to the 53-man roster, according to the NFL’s 2022 practice squad elevation rules.
If Watson is placed on injured reserve, the Packers will have more flexibility with Winfree, as they will be able to sign him to the roster for the time being due to the open roster spot.
