So far, Romeo Doubs has been the most impactful rookie receiver for the Green Bay Packers, but rest assured, Christian Watson’s time is coming.
During his weekly appearance on “The Pat McAfee Show,” Aaron Rodgers likened Watson’s start to former teammate Davante Adams. Adams didn’t receive a ton of targets as a rookie, but that wasn’t because he wasn’t open, according to Rodgers. Now the same can be said for Watson.
“Look, I tell you, he’s got special speed. He really does. He’s got incredible stride length,” said Rodgers. “When you watch some of the film back, it’s similar to watching Davante his rookie year. You know there were games where I didn’t give Davante a ton of looks, but you go back and watch the film, and you’re thinking, ‘Man, this guy is open often.’ It’s like that from time to time with Christian. There’s a few routes, I mean not as much as Davante, I just think Davante was a little more polished route runner as a rookie, but there are a few times where I might need to give him a second look even when things don’t look great from the start because he does have that different type of speed. But we’re finding ways to use him, I think, and again, we have to have patience.”
Through the first four games of the 2022 season, Watson has been targeted 10 times totaling six catches for 51 yards. Watson did miss the team’s Week 3 game against the Tampa Bay Buccaneers but still hasn’t been a huge part of the offense.
We have seen creative uses of Watson, including a 15-yard touchdown run on a jet sweep against the New England Patriots, however, Watson’s usage in the passing game has been somewhat limited since his dropped touchdown against the Minnesota Vikings in Week 1.
Watson ran 29 routes in Minnesota but has only run 14 since, per Pro Football Focus. Although, a few things could factor into this, including his hamstring injury, the emergence of Doubs, and the return of Allen Lazard.
However, as Rodgers pointed out, Adams had somewhat of a slow start to his career before turning into the player he is today. As a rookie, Adams had six games where he logged only one reception, but there were instances where Rodgers looked his way more. Adams also had nine games in his first season in which he was targeted at least four times. Watson on the other hand has only had one game with at least four targets.
Rodgers has leaned more on Doubs and the veterans, but the fact remains that the Packers are still very high on Watson. And judging by Rodgers’ comments, he could receive an uptick in targets if he continues to get open.
