GREEN BAY – It's been a long, grueling wait for Christian Watson to get back on the field, but light is beginning to form through the tunnel for the Packers' fourth-year receiver.
A torn anterior cruciate ligament suffered in Green Bay's regular-season finale against Chicago in January set Watson on a nine-month road to recovery that the speedy wideout has been seemingly outpacing since the offseason program in the spring.
Now, less than a week stands between the 6-foot-4, 208-pound receiver and activation from the physically unable to perform list, a 21-day window that opened with his first practice on Oct. 6.
The Packers have maintained a steady wait-and-see approach as to when Watson will return to play, but he's clearly champing at the bit for it to be Sunday against the Pittsburgh Steelers.
"That's my plan," said Watson after practice Wednesday. "I say it every week; obviously just leaving it up to the trainers, but my goal and my plan is to play this week."
Taking a dogged approach to his rehab, Watson was sprinting down the sidelines throughout OTAs and training camp while rehabbing with the training staff during practices.
Last Friday, Head Coach Matt LaFleur said Watson "has looked pretty damn good" while expressing his excitement for the added element the wideout's return will bring to the offense.
Through his first three seasons, Watson has been one of the league's most explosive perimeter targets. Among players with 75-plus receptions, he ranks No. 3 in the NFL since entering the league in 2022 with an average of 16.9 yards per catch.
Prior to his injury, Watson averaged a robust 21.4 yards per reception in 2024, which ranked second in the NFL among players with at least 25 catches last season. It also is the top single-season average by a Packers pass-catcher since Hall of Famer James Lofton's 22.0 in 1984.
It's not just Watson's individual production, either. It's what his presence does for quarterback Jordan Love and all the skill-position players around him.
"I feel like just me being out there is going to help open everybody up," Watson said. "I think they'll have to obviously respect my ability to beat them deep, for sure. It's just another person that they have to be wary of, regardless. I've made plays in my career and, obviously, defenses have to respect that."
One individual anxiously awaiting Watson's return is rookie first-round pick Matthew Golden, whose 31 touches this season have produced 294 yards from scrimmage and 13 first downs.
The 5-foot-11, 191-pound wideout has not only developed into a go-to target for Love in key situations but an explosive playmaker at that.
Of his 249 receiving yards, Golden's 189 yards on third and fourth down leads the 2025 rookie class. Diving even further into the numbers, Golden's 23.6-yard average on third- and fourth-down catches leads the entire league.
What's more, Golden's 4.29 time in the 40 is one of the few that compares to the 4.36 Watson ran at the NFL Scouting Combine in 2022. The idea of deploying that much speed on the field simultaneously is something that excites both pass-catchers.
"A lot of speed, man," said Golden last week. "I'm excited for him coming back. Definitely going to open up a lot of things. It's not always easy coming back from an injury like that. I watched him work each and every day to get back where he is now. I'm excited for him … I'm ready to see him go."
Watson was asked about the idea of re-debuting on a road team's playing surface but said that doesn't concern him as long as he feels 100% and is given the green light to play again.
Whether Watson goes Sunday or not, his looming return appears to be coming at a good time for a Green Bay receiving corps that lost Jayden Reed indefinitely to a broken collarbone against Washington in Week 2 and could be without Dontayvion Wicks.
Wicks didn't practice Wednesday after leaving the Packers' thrilling 27-23 victory in Arizona with a calf injury – a soft-tissue issue Wicks previously battled in training camp.
If the situation calls for it, Watson knows he'll probably be on a snap count but feels ready for whatever the Packers give him. The prodigious speed is back while his willpower never left.
"I feel like I hit the gear probably like three months ago, to be honest," Watson said. "In terms of getting live reps and getting out there, I definitely feel like I'm feeling like me."
