The Green Bay Packers have hit a bit of a snag in what they hope is a return to Super Bowl glory. After pulling off that stunning trade for superstar edge rusher Micah Parsons just prior to Week 1 of this season, they suffered an embarrassing loss to the Cleveland Browns in Week 3 and then ended Week 4 with a tie against the Dallas Cowboys, Parsons’ former team.
They’re currently in their bye week, which is giving them a chance to evaluate their current situation and figure out how to get back on track. The team is currently banged up a bit — left tackle Zach Tom and wide receivers Christian Watson and Jayden Reed have been out lately due to injury.
But Tom and Watson have now returned to practice. In particular, the impending return of Watson, who tore his ACL late last season, is expected to give Green Bay a major boost on offense.
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With Watson’s practice window opened up, the team will have 21 days in which to activate him. He said that he will not return to game action until he feels fully recovered.
“Honestly, my goal for coming back to play is whenever I feel like I’ve put in the work enough and I’m confident after getting the team reps, getting the live reps and there are no setbacks,” Watson said Monday after doing only individual drills in the first practice after the Packers’ bye week, per ESPN.
“I want to get back and have felt 100 percent and continue to feel 100 percent. That’s my main thing. I’m not setting too much of a target date, this week or anything. It’s really just as soon as I feel like I’m 100 percent and ready to go is when I’ll play.”
If there is one thing the Packers need but don’t have right now, it is a legitimate game-breaking wide receiver whom they can consistently go to and count on to win matchups on a regular basis. Right now, tight end Tucker Kraft leads them in receptions and receiving yards, and that is likely not a recipe for success.
Last season, Watson caught 29 passes and posted 620 yards and two touchdowns in 15 games while averaging 21.4 yards per reception. Reed, who recently underwent surgery for a collarbone injury he suffered in Week 2, led Green Bay with 55 catches and 857 receiving yards in 2024.
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Green Bay has been riding Kraft and running back Josh Jacobs hard to start this season. Jacobs has run for 266 yards and four touchdowns and has caught 10 passes for 119 yards, although he’s averaging just 3.3 yards per rushing attempt through four games.
He is dealing with knee and ankle issues and is hoping to be ready to play when the team hosts the Cincinnati Bengals this Sunday.
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