Christian Watson Ahead Of Schedule In ACL Recovery
Green Bay Packers News: Matt LaFleur shares update on Chritian Watson's ACL Recovery
It looks like Christian Watson is ahead of schedule in his ACL recovery, according to Matt LaFleur.
He shared on Wednesday,
“I would say he’s ahead of schedule, but I’m not a doctor.”
Watson tore his ACL on January 5. Most NFL players return from ACL tears in 9-12 months. If Watson were to play 9 months following the tear, he’d return early October.
The question is, what was the initial expectation of when Watson would return?
The one clue we did receive was from Watson’s father, Tazim Wajid Wajed, who shared this on X following Watson’s injury:
“He’ll have his surgery soon, and should be back around Week 12, with a normal rehab. There’s nothing outside of what’s typical with his injury. Simple ACL and minor cleanup.”
The Packers Week 12 game is on Sunday, November 23, against the Minnesota Vikings.
It’s possible that this timeline has shifted, depending on Watson’s rate of recovery.
As GM, Brian Gutekunst had to prepare with the possibility of Watson missing the entire season. It’s no surprise that the Packers invested heavily at wide receiver in the draft, selecting Matthew Golden in round 1 and Savion Williams in round 3.
These draft selections help mitigate the risk of Christian Watson potentially returning late in the season.
The Packers missed Watson’s ability to threaten defenses deep after he went down late last season. Golden may not have the size of Watson, but he has the speed.