The Lass Word: A Longer Wait
But well worth it.
By KenLass
Christian Watson is getting closer. He is practicing with the team every day. His window to come off the PUP list is open. There was even talk of the possibility of playing against the Cardinals on Sunday. He will, of course, be a welcome addition to a Green Bay Packers offense that has struggled to be consistent.
Much has been written and said about how much the team has missed Watson, his speed and ability to stretch the field and threaten defenses deep. But I would submit he is not the receiver whose absence has hurt the Packers the most. That would be Jayden Reed. The third year veteran out of Michigan State has been out since breaking his collar bone in the first quarter against Washington in week two.
Despite being in the league a year less than Watson, Reed’s per-game stats look better across the board. Watson (38) has played in three more games than Reed (35). Yet Reed has more total receiving yards, more touchdown receptions, more catches per game, and more receiving yards per game (Pro Football Reference). Perhaps even more poignant, Reed has a catch percentage of 70 percent, compared to Watson’s 57 percent. In fairness, many of Watson’s targets have been long bombs on which he had little if any chance to make the play. But even that caveat reflects the reality that Reed was the target quarterback Jordan Love relied upon more often in that clutch short to middle ground range.
Matt LaFleur has frequently used both Watson and Reed on jet sweeps. Reed has been more effective there as well, averaging 9.1 yards per rush, to Watson’s 7.6.
Reed has been impressively productive ever since he first put on the shoulder pads for the green and gold. As a rookie in 2023 he led the Packers in receiving yards and tied Romeo Doubs for the team lead in touchdown catches. In his second year, he once again led the team in reception yardage, and led all wide receivers in scores, finishing one behind tight end Tucker Kraft in overall stats. He also returned punts, although that was clearly not his strong suit.
Even on the play in which he was injured, he was productive. Love, under heavy pressure, launched a bit of a prayer into the corner of the end zone. But Reed made a spectacular catch, tapped his feet inside the line, and then was shoved out of bounds, landing hard on his shoulder. The acrobatic effort went for naught because of a penalty, and Reed slumped to the sideline in obvious pain. He hasn’t been back since.
The diagnosis was confirmed a few days later. Reed had broken the collarbone. He underwent surgery, and his down time was estimated at six to eight weeks. That was five weeks ago. While Watson's return is more imminent, the Packers are hoping Reed can play again around mid-November. They would especially like to have both Watson and Reed back for what is shaping up as a critical division showdown at Detroit on Thanksgiving day.
At least one good thing may have come from his injury. When the season began Reed had a Jones fracture in his foot. That’s the long bone on the outside of the foot that connects to the pinky toe. It can be extremely painful and sore, but it can be wrapped up so as to allow an athlete to run and change direction. Reed had decided to play through the injury for the season, and it didn’t seem to impair him in week one, where he caught three balls for 45 yards and a touchdown against the Lions. But after the collarbone injury, since he was going to be out anyway, he decided to have the Jones fracture surgically repaired as well. This likely puts him at the far end of his recovery estimate, but it’s not season-ending.
The vision of a healthy Green Bay receiving core is tantalizing. Watson, Reed, Doubs, the rapidly-developing Matthew Golden, Dontayvion Wicks and Malik Heath all out there running routes is euphoria for a play caller, and a potential nightmare for defensive coordinators.
The return of Christian Watson is most welcome. But the Packers miss Jayden Reed even more.
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Ken Lass is a former Green Bay television sports anchor and 43 year media veteran, a lifelong Packers fan, and a shareholder.
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Comments (44)
stockholder
October 17, 2025 at 06:18 am
Hog wash. - Reed had too many drops last year.
The packers have to go with Golden.
Give me the guys who stretch the field.
Can catch, and stay on the field
Actions speak louder than words.
Love will be a better QB without him.
Out with the old and in with the new.
TXCHEESE
October 17, 2025 at 08:07 am
"Actions speak louder than words." Uhm, did you read the article?
stockholder
October 17, 2025 at 09:46 am
comment was made because of the drops.
Not because of the hype.
stockholder
October 17, 2025 at 11:07 am
*Footnote*
A 1,000-yard WR club refers to
any wide receiver who accumulates at least 1,000 receiving yards in a single National Football League (NFL) season. For decades, this milestone was considered the benchmark for a successful and elite receiver.
lou
October 17, 2025 at 09:30 am
I will go with the evaluation of an NFL Coach who has never had a losing season, here is what he said;
In his Tuesday presser, Pittsburgh Steelers head coach Mike Tomlin had some interesting things to say about his upcoming opponents, the Green Bay Packers. Notably, he seems to be a fan of one of their pass-catchers: rookie Jayden Reed.
[I] Really like the young slot out of Michigan State. I thought he was the most complete interior or slot receiver in this past draft. I think the trajectory of his play illustrates that.
stockholder
October 17, 2025 at 09:45 am
Evaluations are for the draft.
Performance for the NFL.
He will never be more tradable than now.
dobber
October 17, 2025 at 10:12 am
"He will never be more tradable than now."
So you're saying he has his highest value when he can't play?
stockholder
October 17, 2025 at 11:00 am
No-
Your Assumption is wrong.
dobber
October 17, 2025 at 11:04 am
Just pointing out the continuing inconsistencies in your narratives.
stockholder
October 17, 2025 at 11:10 am
No- You're pointing to character Assignation.
Instead of conversation.
dobber
October 17, 2025 at 11:24 am
Yawn
dblbogey
October 17, 2025 at 02:21 pm
Character Assignation? lol. get a life man,
SicSemperTyrannis
October 17, 2025 at 12:39 pm
His mind along with his Haiku
is cracked.
While it might be fun to try to make sense out of it, you can't get blood out of a stone.
Savage57
October 17, 2025 at 06:34 am
"Jordan, do you prefer Watson or Reed?"
"Yes."
The answer is directional, not binary. They bring different skill sets and play styles.
Packitin
October 17, 2025 at 10:47 am
You tell 'I'm, NoName!
Someone has to be the voice of optimism hete!
SicSemperTyrannis
October 17, 2025 at 12:41 pm
Those two along with our Golden Bullet on the field at the same time, along with #8 and 85? I look forward to seeing that!
GPG
tbohms
October 17, 2025 at 06:39 am
I think on paper this makes sense, but I actually struggle with understanding Jayden Reed's role once everyone is healthy. Everyone talks about drops, but that's overblown. They limit him to only being a slot receiver. All of his snaps are in the slot. While he is probably the best slot they have, they have multiple guys (Golden, Watson, Wicks) that could fill this role. Matt likes big receivers that block, not exactly how you would describe Reed. It's not hard for me to imagine a world where Romeo, Watson and Golden are on the field the majority of the time and Wicks / Savion are the rotational guys. I keep thinking he is the receiver that gets traded in the future. I think they can pay whoever they want, but I think it will be tough to justify giving Reed a hefty second contract based on his snap count and versatility.
SicSemperTyrannis
October 17, 2025 at 12:45 pm
Limiting his snap count and versatility may be a strategy to also limit his salary. I have no crystal ball. So far he's played on his rookie contract, and been one of our top playmakers. Will this be his final year of that? Maybe. #0 9 & 11 all on the field at the same time will be VERY hard to cover! This season has looked like (on paper at least) our best chance for a SB, and if we don't have those 3 next year that won't make it any easier.
dobber
October 18, 2025 at 08:31 am
"I think on paper this makes sense, but I actually struggle with understanding Jayden Reed's role once everyone is healthy...They limit him to only being a slot receiver. All of his snaps are in the slot."
You and CW and others have hit on this, and it's an important point. Reed only really plays in 3+ WR sets, but we're also seeing a bunch of these kinds of slot/11+ personnel specialists emerging: Shakir in Buffalo, Josh Downs in Indy. Most of these guys profile physically the same way, but they only play in 11 personnel or heavier WR sets. In the past, there have been plenty of uber productive slots--Edelman, Brown, etc.--but they could also play some outside and be productive.
Shakir just signed a pretty hefty contract for a slot specialist, but he plays in an offense where the WR depth chart around him isn't heavily set or stocked. I think the Packers' situation will be pretty limited by available cap. They've established a rotating depth chart of WR, and committed to giving Watson a chance to play in '26.
egbertsouse
October 17, 2025 at 07:14 am
This Christian Watson mythology is completely out of control. He’s a 30 catch, 400 yards a season guy, not Jamar Chase. Does he draw double coverage? Not as much as everyone thinks. He’s a decent player but not the savior of the offense.
WestCoastPackerBacker
October 17, 2025 at 10:01 am
The stand out stats about Watson are his yards per reception, which are much better than anyone else from his draft class. Until recently, he led his draft class in touchdowns scored, despite missing so much time and despite there being multiple first round receivers picked. So he’s definitely a Redzone threat. Along with being a deep threat. That causes the defense to change how they do things. So whether or not he’s being targeted on a particular play, he is still likely affecting that play.
dobber
October 18, 2025 at 08:45 am
Agreed: I don't think many of us will argue that the Packers' offense was not clearly different, and struggled with consistency, when Watson went out in 2024 (and at other times when Watson sat). The offense struggled to force defenses to respect the deep zones and generate open spaces in coverage...AND failed to back defenses off the LOS in the run game. He draws help in coverage over the top, and he's able to manhandle DBs in the run game.
I think the Packers see what Watson delivers to the offense and that's part of why they were willing to get him an additional year that could turn out to be well below his market value. I think it's also a desire to recoup what they have invested in him. Maybe Golden eventually becomes that downfield guy who keeps defenses honest, but he's not taken that role over yet and he's never going to be the blocker that Watson is.
Packers0808
October 17, 2025 at 07:22 am
My guess is Watson won't again finish the season, guy is another Alexander can't stay healthy!
GregC
October 17, 2025 at 07:26 am
Of course it will be good to have Reed back, and Watson too, but I don't feel that a lack of WR talent is holding this team back. Not much anyway. They've done pretty well with Doubs, Golden, and Wicks. What needs to happen for the offense is the O-line getting settled. Maybe we got a glimpse of that in the second half of last week's game.
Guam
October 17, 2025 at 08:06 am
Very much in agreement GregC. When Watson and Reed return the Packers will have more receiver talent than they can get on the field. And talent sitting on the bench is nice depth but doesn't help the offense score more points.
Belton is back this week and Banks and Tom will have another week of time to heal so hopefully the O-line is getting healthier. And a solid O-line will mean more than the returning WRs.
dobber
October 18, 2025 at 08:52 am
I think the Packers' hand was forced with Watson's ACL, the issues with drops in 2024, and the number of WRs moving toward contract years. They had to draft into the WR room, and that's creating a logjam.
I don't think other GMs will be deterred by limited targets in the passing game when these guys become FAs. The scouting and analytics prevent many WRs from being hidden in this way. Certainly past WR classes rising to FAs haven't been limited by that.
SicSemperTyrannis
October 17, 2025 at 12:49 pm
Definitely. But having our full plethora of offensive weapons might be nice. Realistically it's a rotation, for whoever gets hurt next. That's one more advantage to a WR with the body type of Savion Williams, he's almost an undersized linebacker. Should be more durable, and add some continuity to our offense.
dobber
October 18, 2025 at 08:36 am
...if he can manage his soft-tissue injuries...both Watson and Williams.
NFLfan
October 17, 2025 at 08:54 am
I would add the 2nd-half easily-gassed D-Line (Gary) as a concern.
SicSemperTyrannis
October 17, 2025 at 12:50 pm
It ain't just #52.
NFLfan
October 17, 2025 at 01:11 pm
The other D Ends who are paid like he is are playing entire games-Gary, like Parsons is expected to be better because of his salary. Parsons gets it.
Coldworld
October 17, 2025 at 09:32 am
Reed’s absence hurts, but it’s helping Golden settle. Sorry, Reed is a good player, but both the range and depth of slot options includes Golden, Wicks and Melton. There is and has been no comparable replacement for Watson (I discount Williams as he’s never yet been used as a true WR despite physically fitting the profile). We have lacked a size/speed threat since Watson went down.
That takes a dimension from our O that Golden can’t truly fill, nor Wicks, who lacks speed or anyone else. I’m not sure how much Watson will play early in his return, but his be presence immediately challenges defenses to ignore him when he does and risk him taking the top off. Defend him then beware Golden. None of our other WRs challenge opponents that way in his absence.
It’s not necessarily what he does but what he could do that changes defenses. It’s not just his speed but his size: both pose different challenges. He’s done enough to be recognized as a game changing play capable guy that defenses have to consider him in a way Wicks and Heath really don’t demand on the outside.
stockholder
October 17, 2025 at 09:54 am
I'm in agreement with you on this.
Coldworld
October 17, 2025 at 10:03 am
I am actually relieved that Reed is getting time to heal his Jones fracture. Once he is back he’s likely a better player for the remainder than he would have been struggling through playing on it for 2/3 months already—it’s only getting worse not better that way. I omitted that consideration because I think it’s not the main reason why we need Watson more, but I think it means the Reed we do get back will be better when it matters and it is relevant in its own right. Watson buys more time for Reed if Golden is healthy.
Then it will be interesting to see how LaFleur fits Watson, Reed, Golden and Doubs in to an O with only 2/3 WRs. None of the first 3 really have offered much in Doubs role (or seem physically ready in Golden’s case. That means 3 WRs who deserve snaps and only one or two spots per play and only about 50% will be run plays and with Kraft to involve as well. A great problem to have if LaFleur can crack the code and toy with defenses and yet keep them all in rhythm.
stockholder
October 17, 2025 at 10:09 am
My concern are Reeds injuries.
He was hurt in college.
And he's getting hurt in the NFL.
dobber
October 17, 2025 at 10:21 am
He played 16 games as a rookie.
17 games last year.
...and then he broke his frickin' collarbone, so you want to label him as injury prone?
stockholder
October 17, 2025 at 10:42 am
He's always been nursing something.
The production doesn't lie.
By the way -
Where are the 1000 yard seasons?
dobber
October 17, 2025 at 11:25 am
Over there where you just moved the goalposts.
SicSemperTyrannis
October 17, 2025 at 12:56 pm
Absolutely! "First world problems" :)
Golden Watson and Reed on the field at the same time will be amazing to watch. Can also have #8 and 85 all in on the same play. That seems pretty unstoppable, but still depends on an O line that's hopefully great but at least consistently solid.
As much as I love heavy sets like 12 personnel and 6 O linemen and a dominant run game, speed like this is rare and should win some games. Maybe some big games. Maybe the biggest game.
crayzpackfan
October 17, 2025 at 09:52 am
Perhaps if they were to feature Kraft more, this whole WR narrative becomes hyperbole? Once Reed and Watson are back we will have a stable full of capable WR's, perhaps too many in fact. Though this can be a good problem to have, it also takes most of the attention away from a potential all time TE. I find it frustrating how Kraft becomes such an afterthought as a receiver while his production dwarfs Watson and others in spite of being largely ignored. TE's are hard to come by in the NFL, at least until recently. When you have one, you should saddle him up and ride him. It begs to question, if Kraft were playing on a team that embraces the TE, what would his numbers look like? Let's hope we use him and not find out what he looks like playing for someone else. Have a great weekend Packer Backers.
Snap the ball
October 17, 2025 at 11:17 am
We just don’t target one person
That’s on MLF Everyweek
If we did would find out we have about 5 that could be targeted 15 times a game
That’s in MLF. DNA. Everything equal crap.
One week someone gets more than others.
So be it
Spock
October 17, 2025 at 12:08 pm
One thing people tend to overlook/forget is that Watson is probably the Packers' best downfield BLOCKING WR.
Ferrari-Driver
October 17, 2025 at 12:21 pm
I like both receivers and at the present time both are injured.
I was concerned and remained concern that Watson tore his ACL without contact. I realize that has happened to other players, but to me I wonder if those players may be more prone to ACL injuries when involved with contact than other players.
GregC
October 17, 2025 at 01:36 pm
I think an ACL tear is almost always a non-contact injury. The good news for Watson is that it appears he did not have as bad a tear or as much collateral damage as some players get with that injury. And he made it to the last game of the season with no hamstring problems, so maybe he and the medical staff got that one figured out.