Packers' Christian Watson finding success where it matters the most
It's easy to think of the big play when thinking of Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson. For starters, his average depth of target was 14.3 yards in 2022, which was fourth-highest among all receivers with at least 65 targets, per Pro Football Focus. His three receptions of 40+ yards tied for 16th-most among […]
It's easy to think of the big play when thinking of Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson.
For starters, his average depth of target was 14.3 yards in 2022, which was fourth-highest among all receivers with at least 65 targets, per Pro Football Focus. His three receptions of 40+ yards tied for 16th-most among all wideouts despite him tying for the 84th-most targets among all pass catchers. And last but not least, he was one of just seven receivers to snag at least two receiving touchdown receptions of 58+ yards.
There's also his scintillating, 46-yard touchdown run in the final minutes against the Chicago Bears that sealed the Packers' 28-19 win in Week 13.
But, he also showed some ability to make plays in the red zone, which is just as important as breaking the big one. The best teams are typically the best in the red area, where the difficulty to score points increases exponentially. The field is much shorter, obviously, and that gives the defense an advantage because there's less field to defend.
Per Pro Football Reference, Watson snagged four of his seven overall receiving touchdowns inside the 20, which tied Allen Lazard for the team lead in 2022. His 54 receiving yards were one shy of tying Romeo Doubs for the lead in that regard and his eight receptions were one behind Lazard and Aaron Jones for the team lead.
Watson continued to show off his skills in the red area during Thursday's training camp practice and it looks like he's ready to take another step forward in the department. That's a big deal considering Lazard -who was arguably the team's top RZ target- is now with the New York Jets.
"I think it really just comes down to understanding concepts and being at the right spot on time," Watson told reporters after he was asked his red zone success. "I mean, everything happens a little faster in the red zone. So, the faster you can go out there and play, understand leverages, and just be able to play off the DB really quickly, you know, the more plays you can make.
"It's a lot of mesh stuff, it's a lot of just finding the holes and you know, sitting in the holes. The faster you can get to where you're supposed to be – the faster Jordan can put it on us."
An even better performance from Watson in the red zone will go a long way toward helping the Packers bounce back from their job 51.9% conversion rate, which tied for 23rd in 2022. That, alone, will help Jordan Love and the offense put more points on the board, thus hopefully leading to a lot more wins.
And a big reason why Watson can take another step forward this year is the fact that this is his first real offseason. He isn't recovering from any kind of surgery, like last year, when he had knee surgery in June and didn't practice til mid-August.
"It's definitely been a lot easier, a lot smoother," said Watson. "Just in terms of the mental side of the game, which helps me go out there and play fast and just do what I do."
In other words: expect plenty of more post-touchdown backflips from Watson in 2023.
The best part? He's ready for 'em.
"I got quite a few in the bag," Watson said while smiling. "I didn't want to bring them out yet. But they're coming."
Packers’ Christian Watson explains how he made his teammate beat up a trash can
It just goes to show that Packers training camp is in full swing and the pads haven’t come on yet.
Featured image via Dan Powers/USA TODAY NETWORK-Wisconsin / USA TODAY NETWORK
