The Green Bay Packers miss less often than most NFL franchises when it comes to personnel decisions, to which three decades of consistent winning can attest.
Two recent moves the front office has made, however, have come under serious question. The first was a trade that sent All Pro receiver Davante Adams to the Las Vegas Raiders for late picks in the first and second rounds of the 2022 NFL Draft. The second involved the Packers packaging that late-second rounder with one of their own, then moving up to No. 34 overall to draft wideout Christian Watson.
Adams is underperforming in Las Vegas based on his numbers with Green Bay last season, though he still has 26 catches for 290 yards and three touchdowns through the first four games. Watson, on the other hand, missed most of the preseason after what felt like an impromptu knee surgery, then missed Week 3 with a hamstring strain. In the three games the rookie has played, he’s made just six catches for 51 yards, per Pro Football Reference. He’s also scored just one touchdown, which came via the ground game, while amassing 22 rushing yards on two carries.
Meanwhile, quarterback Aaron Rodgers and the Green Bay offense have relied heavily on their running backs and the defense, as the passing game has often sputtered on the Packers’ path to an 18.75 points per game scoring average through the first quarter of the season.
No one can dispute that it’s incredibly early in Watson’s career to make a determination on whether the hyper-athletic pass catcher from North Dakota State University will live up to his draft position, or to the legacy behind the pick with which the Packers selected him.
That said, one analyst is already calling the receiver Green Bay’s biggest disappointment of the year with 13 games yet to play.
Christian Watson Has Yet to Live Up to Expectations in Green Bay
GettyFans celebrate with WR Christian Watson of the Green Bay Packers after his touchdown against the New England Patriots at Lambeau Field on October 2, 2022 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
Alex Ballentine of Bleacher Report on Wednesday, October 5, laid out the case for Watson to be considered at least a semi-bust early in his career by comparing on-field performance to preseason expectations.
Quay Walker and Devonte Wyatt were the Green Bay Packers’ first-round picks this year, but Christian Watson carried the expectations of a first-rounder after the draft.
With the Packers trading up to get the North Dakota State receiver in the second round, Watson was expected to play a big role in the offense from Week 1. Instead, he has been a minor player in an attack that is still trying to find its footing.
When the Packers drafted him, he projected as a deep threat capable of taking the top off [of] a defense.
WR Romeo Doubs Outshines Watson Throughout Rookie Campaign
GettyHead coach Matt LaFleur of the Green Bay Packers talks to QB Aaron Rodgers during overtime against the New England Patriots at Lambeau Field on October 2, 2022 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. (Photo by Patrick McDermott/Getty Images)
With Watson less durable and less productive than expected in the early going, Rodgers has found reliance on another rookie receiver in his offense — fourth-round pick Romeo Doubs.
Rodgers praised Doubs from the outset of training camp, a trend that has continued into the year. Doubs appears to have found his footing in the NFL over the previous two weeks, elevating into a starting role in place of the injured Sammy Watkins and tallying 13 catches for 120 yards and two touchdowns over that span.
“We called some plays for him and he made nice catches,” Rodgers said of Doubs following the team’s Week 3 road win over the Tampa Bay Buccaneers.
“The thing about Romeo that gives you confidence is the majority of the time he catches the ball with his hands,” Rodgers continued. “He just has such great hands.”
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Packers’ Hyper-Athletic WR Named Biggest Letdown of Season