The Green Bay Packers’ offseason has gotten off to an unusually exciting start. They acquired the best safety available in Xavier McKinney to cover a huge need in center field, and they traded former Las Vegas Raiders bell-cow Josh Jacobs for fan favorite tailback Aaron Jones.
In addition, Brian Gutekunst’s team has a lot of money going into the draft the following month, so they should be well-positioned to build on their late-season success.
Remarkably, both of the E-ticket free agents they signed have praised Jordan Love as a major factor in their decision to sign with Green Bay. It’s becoming more and more obvious that Love is a franchise guy who can play with any NFC team.
Among the abundance of youthful talent that makes up Matt LaFleur’s offensive, one guy jumps out to help them advance.
Christian Watson has struggled with a long list of hamstring ailments this season and has gone somewhat unnoticed, particularly in light of Jayden Reed’s explosive lateral and vertical speed, Romeo Doubs’ postseason comeback, and Dontayvion Wicks’ dependability on third downs.
The front staff and Gutekunst have been very clear about their position on wide receivers. Green Bay has favored working through the draft as the market has expanded and players like Christian Kirk and former Packers Allen Lazard and Marcquez Valdes-Scantling have secured lucrative multi-year deals in free agency. Known for being nowhere near the top of it.
The last first-round receiver the Packers drafted was Javon Walker in 2002. It was an up-and-down voyage to find Daavante Adams a running mate in the middle rounds, which resulted in severe busts like J’Mon Moore, Amari Rodgers, and Valdes-Scantling. Most importantly, no one who passed through that revolving door satisfied the media’s and fans’ hunger for a genuine No. 2 to rival No. 17.
Since Adams, Watson has represented Green Bay’s largest investment in the position. With two picks from the first round, Gutekunst shot up the board to pick the North Dakota State prospect 34th overall. His athletic profile jumped off the page in true Packers fashion; at 6’4″, he has the gait of a deer.
More importantly, during his first two seasons, we have witnessed glimpses of his game-breaking ability. He was a touchdown machine and a deep threat in the last stretch of the 2022 campaign.
He was unable to remain on the pitch in 2023. However, he was merely one more player in Love’s deep, youthful core of pass-catchers throughout the majority of the games in which he participated.
In the first half of the season, the 2023 campaign was obviously a letdown. Questions about Love started to surface as the Packers edged closer to the top of the selection order in front of a talented quarterback class.
Matt Schneidman of The Athletic said they were a lock to qualify for Hard Knocks this summer, thus ruling them out of the postseason.
On national television, Detroit’s situation improved. Watson launched a 53-yard bomb to start the contest. They never looked back after that. Thanks in part to seven receptions for 94 yards and a touchdown from Watson, they overcame the Detroit Lions, who were the division champs.
He then responded with a nine-catch, 71-yard, two-touchdown effort that helped the team defeat the Kansas City Chiefs, who would go on to win the Super Bowl.
This offense has been witnessed both with and without No. 9 as the main player. LaFleur has a lot to learn this offseason, but if he succeeds, he will have all the tools necessary to propel this team to the summit of the conference for good.
The offense is positioned at quarterback, running back, wide receiver, tight end, and, to a lesser extent, the offensive line. In order to allay any remaining worries, I anticipate that the line will be given top importance in the draft. However, they are without a top target.
When they need a play, most teams have a guy they turn to. That’s nearly always been the case for the Packers; Adams and Jordy Nelson came before him most recently. Watson is equipped with those. On the field, Love has the arm to find him anywhere.
That opens up the playbook for Jacobs, Reed, and the entire arsenal if he can be the safety’s first thought in any high-stakes scenario.
Watson has the potential to be among the best players in the league out of all the talented young players that Love has passed to this season. His game hasn’t yet included being a target monster like division opponents Amon-Ra St. Brown and Justin Jefferson.
His favorite method of working is in large, combative groups. That will work perfectly given their depth in the underneath game, but the Packers have shown their finest when they play through their most gifted receiver.
With almost all of its key players, with the exception of Jacobs and star guard Elgton Jenkins, still young, LaFleur and Gutekunst’s offense has plenty of opportunity to grow as Green Bay chases the San Francisco 49ers for the top spot in the conference.
Christian Watson is a real No. 1, and he represents the maximum peak this offense can achieve. The keys to his success are maintaining his health and adding variety to his game.
