It’s been almost 300 days since Packers wide receiver Christian Watson tore his ACL, ending his 2024 season, but a return could be on the horizon. Watson will have a chance to make his 2025 debut tomorrow as Green Bay has activated him off the reserve/physically unable to perform list. He makes his way off the injury list with just two days to spare in his 21-day practice window.

With the injury occurring so late in the season, there were immediate expectations that Green Bay would be without one of their top receivers to start the 2025 campaign. What’s worse, this season was supposed to be a contract year for Watson, which would’ve given him a chance to earn a big, new contract. The Packers made sure that Watson would avoid having to prove himself in half a season by giving him a one-year, $11MM extension.

The short-term delay of free agency acts as a prove-it deal. After seeing the 26-year-old miss time with hamstring issues throughout his first two years, teams will want to see him have a fully healthy season before signing him to a big contract. The extension will allow Watson to ease back into the game over the remainder of this season and hit the ground running in 2026, his new contract year. The team also built three effective voidable years into the deal which will allow them to circumvent the 12-month renegotiation waiting period usually required to sign him to another potential extension after the season.

As the season drew near, it became clear that Watson would start the year on the reserve/PUP list, and eventually, he did. He returns to a Packers team that has gotten off to a hot 4-1-1 start and currently sits atop the NFC North. The offense and passing attack haven’t appeared to be quite as successful as last year’s offensive unit, but perhaps Watson’s return can contribute to some improvements on that front.

Also lacking Jayden Reed since Week 2, quarterback Jordan Love has continued to spread the ball evenly between his targets with tight end Tucker Kraft and receivers Romeo Doubs and first-round rookie Matthew Golden proving to be the main benefactors. While Reed remains on injured reserve for now, the addition of Watson back into the offense may mean a small change in role for Golden or Dontayvion Wicks.

We’ll see just how much of a leash the Packers give Watson, if they do in fact let him play in his first game of the season. They’ve been cautious in his return from injury thus far, so it’d be a surprise if he came out tomorrow with zero restrictions. Either way, adding Watson back into the mix should only help the Packers in what looks like it might be the league’s most contentious division race.

To make room for Watson on the 53-man roster, the Packers waived tight end Ben Sims. They also announced they would elevate defensive end Arron Mosby for the second time this year as a standard gameday practice squad elevation.