Ken, I agree that having Watson figure out how to stay healthy would be a huge boost to this team, but we have plenty of other prospects who can create similar, if not QUITE as good, results.

As far as "potentially the next Adams," I'd actually say Wicks; Watson is more like "potentially the next Lofton" (tall, fast, smart, good blocker).

I won't be shocked if Gute selects another WR in this draft too--there are quite a few who could be the Best Player Available when it's the Packers turn to choose. I could see them going for Malachi "Deebo" Corley, or Brenden "Jerry's Kid" Rice, or take a flyer on a freak athlete like Xavier Legette or Troy Franklin.

I hate to say it, but I'm in the camp of "fade into the ranks of those promising but injury-plagued prospects who tease you with one or two standout performances each season, but all too often end up watching the action in street clothes on the sideline."... He may never be able to stay healthy enough to complete a full season. Too bad too... he's an exceptional talent.

I'm sure this is the reason they moved on from their current strength and conditioning coach. I hope it helps and they find the best replacement.

This team needs to keep all the young players it can to grow together and help this team get to the next level and stay there.

We were all worried about the young receiver room at the start of the season. That worry's been put behind us. Now let's start getting the rest of the team on the same page.

I worry more about them going longer than a half season figuring out the best O-line. That can't happen again. They need to have the best 5 and (as we saw at the beginning of the season) the best 5 backups.

The guy is special when he's out there, no doubt about it. Pierce was taken at 53 BUT George Pickens was taken 52nd in the same draft. Pickens has caught 115 balls for 9 TDs and 1941 yards. He caught 63 this past season for 1140, 18.1 YPC and 5 TDs.

Obviously had Gute not traded both 2nds to move up Pickens still would have been drafted before the Packers selection. But maybe a 2nd and a 4th gets them to the 40th pick (just for example). Personally I wanted Pickens but after Watson's game vs Dallas I was all in on Watson. I understood WHY Gute took him.

Both Pickens and Watson came with risk. Watson from a small school who mostly ran the ball against lessor competition. Pickens came from a powerhouse (Georgia) but was coming off a knee injury and only played in 12 games his last two seasons.

Watson is truly special when he's on the field. Stating the obvious here, Watson MUST stay on the field. The Packers and Watson are doing everything they can this offseason to hopefully put a end to the hamstring issues. I don't think there's a doubt the Packers are better WITH Watson. Hopefully they can find some answers.

The first sentence is too strong. They don't need Christian Watson to become a star in order to make it to the Super Bowl. But other than that, I agree with Ken. Watson is a game breaker when healthy. The good news is that the Packers don't have to make a decision of any kind. Watson is under contract. Let's see if he can stay healthy in 2024. Maybe he's just had a run of bad luck.

Watson could get hurt regardless.
Play him when ready.

The greatest running back I ever watched was Gayle Sayers of the Bears. So why don't people mention him now as one of the greatest ever? The shortness of his career. He had several knee injuries-surgeries that cut a brilliant career short.

"If you can't stay on the field you can't help the cause".

He just needs to get on the ayahuasca. It'll probably take care of his hammies, but I hear it plays hell with your Achilles.

I wonder if a 4 string cadaver hammy repair/replacement surgery is a thought?

I have a cousin who is a trainer up in the Appleton area. He has worked with some Packers players and former Packers players. Basically he told me that whatever the strength and conditioning teams are doing is moronic. He told me that a lot of the things they have done are not the way it should be done. (what those things are, I have no idea, but that is essentially what he told me).

I have had that in the back of my mind the last couple of years and I think changing the strength and conditioning coaches is a wise choice. When you see some of these reoccurring injuries you have to wonder if they were handling things the correct way. I especially wonder how they handled players post injuries. One of the players that I know he worked with a lot was one that had an injury, and was trying to come back from it. Last season he was limited most of the year which also made his stats suffer a bit. Forward to this year and we see Watson and Stokes both had hamstring issues multiple times this year. So I have to wonder if the strength and condition teams played a part in the reaggravating of injuries. (I'm not fully blaming them, just wondering).

Watson is a stud! Plain and Simple. He is the most electric WR the Packers have. But he simply hasn't been able to stay on the field. They have to get the problem solved. He is too important for this offense. I really like all of our WR's. But Watson is just different. He helps make the other WR's better as he draws a lot of attention. I don't think it was a coincidence that they put up the most points of the season against Dallas in the playoffs. While he only had 1 reception on 1 target for 9 yards, he was constantly drawing double teams. He had Dallas's attention, most likely because of last years breakout game against them.

If we can keep Watson on the field, our WR group is the best in the league IMO. So keeping Watson on the field should be a top priority this offseason.

That was a very well written case all points. Thanks for comparisons to the other receivers as a reminder. From casual memory, I don't remember him scoring or receiving as much as the stats indicate. Good thing people record such stuff.
Yes, he's definitely worth hiring a new conditioning coach, and worth patience over 2024 to use him well. Probably no more jet sweeps?

The juice ain't worth the squeeze.

The Indianapolis Colts last year showed a willingness to trade
Jonathan Taylor for Christian Watson.

Wonder how the 49-ers game would have turned out with Aaron Jones
and Jonathan Taylor as alternating backs.

I think the Packers are running the risk of falling in love with
some of their players.

Just watched Jordan Love in QB school until week 12 and it's amazing, how often Christian Watson is wide open. He is real difference maker in this offense and I hope, they can fix his hamstring. Would make the road to the Superbowl definetly easier.

Nice article, Ken. Watson is vital to the Packers future success. Let's hope the new strength and conditioning staff can look at the interconnectedness of all things to bolster overall strength; health should follow. He's special athlete and a good kid.

Go the Lynn Swann way, he took ballet lessons to keep him in shape and to keep his flexibility

Bo Melton is a keeper he turned down top schools like Ohio state, Penn state, Nebraska and others to remain at Rutgers where his dad played and his brother plays now I Would not trade him.

I remember a time when Christian McCaffrey was oft-injured and San Francisco decided to pay an enormous amount of money to sign him.
I thought that move was foolish. Look at how that has turned out?
I read that San Fran has state of the art facilities which have addressed injuries and their prevention. Cold baths were mentioned, I believe, as one of the mandatory prophylactic measures. SF was plagued with injuries @ one time and that seems to have reversed a bit.
I would retain Watson and upgrade the overall health & wellness practices first. I think that is what they are favoring.

No need to draft another WR.

Do NOT sleep on Grant DuBose from the PS and IR last year. He hasn't had the chance to impress yet, but I think he just might force one of the top 5 back in the pecking order.

The Packers became contenders with little or no contribution from Watson this year. If he doesn’t stay on the field this year ,, that would be three in a row and I would expect him to fade into obscurity.

We have many young promising receivers and our future looks great. Also, don’t forget about Bo Melton. Big offseason for Watson. Hope MLF, Gute and medical staff can figure it out.

Of course he's "worth the effort", as he's a high draft pick with a ton of physical talent. But he has a lot of work to do in order to become a complete receiver. He's still somewhat raw because he hasn't been available half the time. The Packers aren't giving up on him.

But is he the key piece to winning a Super bowl? No. We won six regular season games without him and only a minimal contribution in the playoff win over Dallas. We have an embarrassment of depth at the WR positions right now, and anytime Watson plays I almost view it as a bonus.

"They have an impressive crop of young players. Now they need a few to become great." That includes the defense if we want to go far in the postseason!

Sometimes I wonder if the first thing these strength and conditioning coaches want rookies to do is add muscle for the NFL game..is it even good for WR's? .you hear it all the time.."he's added ten pounds of muscle"....some positions on the field yes, but a player who needs speed maybe they shouldn't be trying to add too much muscle...and theres also a school of thought on stretching now..how much is too much and when is stretching implemented, before, during or after workouts...hope the new strength guy gets it right.....or...maybe Watson is just doomed to be a constant hammy injury waiting to happen...in his genes...

In medical research when you see a string of the same problems with a drug or surgical technique it's called a signal. It demands further study. it means you should consider changing how you administer said drug or vax or procedure, changing the dose or timing or follow-up care, etc.

It sure came across as a strong signal to me when all those hammies appeared on the GB squad. So, I'm glad they are changing the strength and conditioning personnel, and hope they get the right people and approah.

I listened to a recent podcast with Andy H. and Mike Wahle, and MW shared some depth of insight into how you set up training programs for individuals to prevent injuries, improve stamina, and support whatever task a given player needs to perform. Worth a listen).

Watson is the fastest WR on the Packers, but I don't think he's the best WR on the roster.

To be honest, he might be #3 or #4.

Don't get me wrong, his speed is something defenses need to honor and that is very impactful.. but when you look at the total skill set, he's not the superstar. He'll get the attention and he'll get the big flash plays deep. Bt I think Reed, Wicks, and maybe even Melton might be better all-around receivers. Doubs can't be counted out either, but he's more of a possession type.

Get the hammy right, he's an important piece for the offense. But even if he never played another down for the Packers, I think we're just fine.

Sorry I gave up on him. Three seasons and nothing really. For all the hype of his speed I' ve never seen him not having a d hack on his back. A Gordy he ain't. His route running is avg and of course he spent most of his time on the bench.
If they can't fix his problem he's gotta go.

He is a Ferrari that you can never use cause it is in the shop all the time. Time to move on.

GB definitely does not NEED Watson to be a star to win a Super Bowl. We need the OL dedicated to the weight room with real goals that must be achieved to gain play time and / or draft bigger stronger players. It's okay to use TE's to block...It's another thing to NEED them to block. I like our WR group and it would be monumentally stupid to trade any of them off. We have multiple #2 WR's which limits who other defenses can take away. Melton has been a sweet surprise also. We need an OL that will enable us to use a 5 WR set especially against really good defenses like SF or any other playoff team. We have an abundance of riches in the WR group and not addressing the OL as the main stumbling block in the playoffs would be the real travesty it already has been since 2019, same problem every year. We have a new DC and we definitely need another top CB and a box Safety and an actual FS. Nobody crowed louder for Watson than I did....I too want the hammy fixed for good. Part of his problem outside looking in is he does not seem to use his speed well slowing down reaccelerating, etc to get separation without having to go full throttle every play. Yoga and more weight training???I don't know.

Watson does not have to become the #1 to be dangerous. Having Reed and Doubs and Musgrave on the field at the same time opens up the playbook for Watson to use his best asset; speed, to the best effect. Obviously they need to address his hammy situation.