Improved health has Packers receiver Christian Watson feeling more confident going into the season

GREEN BAY, Wis. (AP) — Green Bay’s Christian Watson has shown he’s capable of being one of the NFL’s most potent deep threats when his hamstrings aren’t bothering him.

The issue has been his inconsistent availability. Watson has missed 11 games because of hamstring problems over his first two pro seasons.

“In my mind, if I’m able to be out there, I’m going to find a way to make plays,” Watson said.

After making it through training camp healthy, Watson is optimistic he has a better understanding of how to deal with his hamstring issues as the Packers head into their season opener Friday against the Philadelphia Eagles at Sao Paulo, Brazil.

“This is how it’s supposed to be,” Watson said. “It’s supposed to be 100%. I want to play 100% of the games. I want to play 100% of the practices. I’m right where I want to be.”

It’s certainly a change from last year, when a hamstring injury caused him to miss the Packers’ first three games. His hamstring issues cropped up again and sidelined him for the Packers’ final five regular-season games, though he did return for the postseason.

Watson, 25, knew he needed to get the situation sorted out. He and Packers cornerback Eric Stokes visited the University of Wisconsin’s Badger Athletic Performance center, which received a four-year, $4 million award from the NFL’s scientific advisory board in 2021 to investigate the prevention and treatment of hamstring injuries.

That visit helped Watson realize he was lacking symmetry between his legs, which was making him more prone to these types of injuries.

Without commenting specifically on Watson’s situation, Badger Athletic Performance director Bryan Heiderscheit described the potential impact of asymmetry.

“Even without any sort of history of injury, you still probably have a little bit of asymmetry based on what you do in your daily life, the demands of your sport or what your position may be,” Heiderscheit said.

“It’s when those asymmetries get beyond what we would anticipate as being normal or typical, or at a point where one side is at a level at which there’s too much demands on other tissues. In other words, it’s so asymmetrical in terms of it’s smaller than the other side that it relies on other tissues to do more of the work, that’s creating a cycle of chronic injury.”

Watson said earlier this year that he had discovered his left leg was about 20% stronger than the right, which put more stress on his left side and eventually led to fatigue.

He has since gotten that corrected.

“I got it down to pretty much perfectly symmetrical right before camp started,” Watson said.

Watson understands he will have to monitor this situation throughout the season, but he’s hopeful he will be able to play a full season without interruptions.

That would allow the 2022 second-round pick from North Dakota State to display the ability he showed late in his rookie season, when he scored eight touchdowns (seven receiving, one rushing) during a four-game stretch. The only other rookie to have that many touchdowns in a four-game span was Randy Moss in 1998.

He finished that rookie season with 41 catches for 611 yards while scoring nine total touchdowns (seven receiving, two rushing). Watson couldn’t match that production last season, when he had 28 receptions for 422 yards and five touchdowns in just nine games.

If Watson can stay healthy, he could play a leading role for a deep receiving group that also returns Romeo Doubs, Jayden Reed and Dontayvion Wicks among others.

“He is an important part of what we do,” Packers coach Matt LaFleur said. “He’s a big, physical, fast guy, and not many of those guys exist. So we certainly are a better offense when he’s at full strength.”

Watson’s feeling better about his chances of staying at full strength. And that has him feeling more confident than ever.

“When you’re able to play a lot more free, you just have a lot more confidence, and I think that’s where I’m at,” Watson said. “I’ve played a lot of games, in my eyes, in the league. Enough to where I know what I’m capable of.”

NOTES: Rookie RB MarShawn Lloyd (hamstring) didn't practice Tuesday. WR Romeo Doubs (hand), LB Edgerrin Cooper (hip), CB Carrington Valentine (hamstring) and RB Emanuel Wilson (hip) were limited practice participants.

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Steve Megargee, The Associated Press