Christian Watson is ready for Year 3 with Packers after addressing the hamstring dilemma.
Christian Watson has demonstrated the potential to be an outstanding wide receiver for the Packers in his first two seasons in the NFL.
Unfortunately, injuries prevented him from realizing his full potential. As he enters Year 3, Watson appears to have addressed his injury dilemma. The former second-round draft pick missed nearly half of the Packers’ 2023 season due to a hamstring injury, which he blamed on “asymmetry” between his two legs.
Before OTAs, Watson visited the University of Wisconsin, where researchers assisted him in identifying the problem and proposing a remedy.
“For me, it really was the asymmetry between the legs,” Watson said, via ESPN. “It comes from a lot of things. Obviously, the issues I’ve had in the past with hamstrings, not fully recovering from those strength-wise. So I’ve just been attacking the strength side of it, trying to get that symmetry back and it’s been huge for me. I’ve been feel really, really good, just gotta continue grinding at it.”
“I was obviously a little bit down in my right leg [compared] to the left,” Watson added. “One, it puts strain on the left side, and the left is going through a lot more. And then two, obviously when you’re trying to be equal in power, it obviously puts a lot more stress on the one that’s not as strong. So that’s been the No. 1 thing for me because that leads to fatigue as well. It’s a bad place to be, so obviously that’s been my No. 1 goal to just kind of eliminate that.”
Watson building toward breakout third season
Since working with the researchers at Wisconsin, the Packers star has reduced the difference in strength level between his two legs to 10%, compared to 20%. Continued focus on the issue will reduce the difference in strength even further, which bodes well for his 2024 season.
“I definitely feel like I’m at 100 percent, just in terms of what I’m able to do on the football field right now,” Watson said. “But I mean there’s still a little bit of asymmetry there, and that’s just something that I’m attacking with the training staff in the weight room. But it’s not enough to hold me back from anything, obviously just got to continue to get that right so there’s not any risks in the future.”
During the NFL season, Watson appeared in nine games and caught 28 passes for 422 yards and five touchdowns. During his debut season, he caught 41 receptions for 611 yards and seven touchdowns.
He also carried for 80 yards and two scores on seven attempts. In addition to resolving his injury issues this offseason, Watson married. He married his long-term partner, Lakyn Adkins, 25, at Stone Mountain Estates in Malibu, California, in April.
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