Matt LaFleur admits Christian Watson injury was ' a big time scare,' says receiver is doing well
Sometimes training camp injuries aren’t what they seem. Packers coach Matt LaFleur admitted that Christian Watson gave him a “big-time scare” Wednesday as the receiver fell to the turf after tangling with rookie Evan Williams on a pass thrown by Jordan Love.
The injury happened on the final play of practice, as the first team offense worked on fast-paced 2-minute drills. Williams battled Watson and intercepted Love on the play.
But 24 hours later, all is well. The top Packers receiver even is expected back at practice, Thursday.
LaFleur provided an update on Watson on Thursday. “He seems to be doing well this morning.,” LaFleur told reporters. “Just got hit on the knee.”
A knee injury of any severity throws a scare into coaches. The Packers just made Love the highest-paid quarterback in the NFL. And Green Bay doesn’t want to go through the season without one of Love’s favorite targets. Watson, in his first two seasons with the Packers, has caught 69 passes for 1,033 yards. Keep in mind, he missed nearly half of 2023 because of a hamstring issue.
Packers receiver said he went down ‘a little awkward’
After leaving the field to have his knee checked, Watson spoke with reporters.
“I think we just came down a little awkward,” Watson said. “I don’t know if it was his knee or his cleat, but something just kinda hit me in the knee. It hurt a lot worse in the moment. I’m just thankful and obviously was praying that it wasn’t too serious, and it wasn’t.”
It’s unclear whether LaFleur will play Watson in the Packers pre-season opener against the Browns in Cleveland on Saturday. The coach indicated that starters would play some against the Browns. That includes Love. The quarterback missed the first week of training camp as he waited for sides to finish contract negotiations. Within hours of the agreement, Love was back.
In other roster news, the Packers announced that they’d signed defensive lineman Brevin Allen and Zach Morton and kicker Alex Hale. Meanwhile, Green Bay waived cornerback Don Callis and receiver Rory Starkey.
Allen is in his second year in the NFL. He originally signed as an undrafted rookie free agent with the Chargers last year. He spent the season on the LA practice squad. Hale is a rookie who hails from Oklahoma State. Morton is in his second year in the league. He signed with the Lions last year, but was cut early in training camp. Allen spent the spring playing for the San Antonio Brahmas in the UFL.