Armed with a massive new contract and elite physical tools, Christian Watson looks to overcome his injury history and lead the Green Bay Packers' potentially high-powered offense.
We're officially 5 days from the start of the 2026 NFL season for the Green Bay Packers. Whether you're ready or not, football season is here.
The Packers kick off their 2026 season against the Minnesota Vikings on Sunday, Sept. 13, from U.S. Bank Stadium in Minneapolis, Minnesota. Talk about pressure. The Vikings are certainly in a transitional place as a franchise, but getting going against an NFC North foe ratchets up the intensity of this season from the get-go.
It's a big season for the Packers. There's a belief that they're in a Super Bowl window right now, which means every single game is important. That means the intensity will be there in Week 2 at MetLife Stadium against the New York Jets and it will certainly be there in Week 3 against the Atlanta Falcons, when the Packers will play at Lambeau Field for the first time in 2026.
There's going to be a lot of proverbial ink spilled on this 2026 season and we here at PackersRoundtable hope that you spend as much time as possible with us talking about the ins and outs and ups and downs of the Packers.
As we prepare for the 2026 season, though, we're going to kick things off with a rankings series looking at the Top 50 Packers heading into the 2025 season.
At No. 5 we have wide receiver Christian Watson
Ranking the Top 50 Packers Heading Into 2026: No. 5, Christian Watson
Nov 16, 2025; East Rutherford, New Jersey, USA; Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson (9) reaches for the ball but can not make the catch against New York Giants cornerback Nic Jones (31) during the third quarter at MetLife Stadium. Mandatory Credit: Robert Deutsch-Imagn Images.Christian Watson has the talent profile to be one of the top wide receivers in the NFL in 2026. The biggest question surrounding Watson, as it has been for the duration of his career, is whether or not he can stay healthy.
If Watson can put together a full season, and that is a big if, he's going to put up some insane numbers.
Wideouts who check in at 6-foot-4, 215 pounds who can run a 4.36 40-yard-dash don't just grow on trees. Watson has elite athleticism metrics.
And again, when he's healthy, he knows how to put it all together.
In four seasons since the Packers selected him in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of North Dakota State, Watson has caught 133 passes for 2,264 yards and 20 touchdowns.
The issue has been availability. He's played in just 48 of a potential 68 regular season games.
The Packers clearly believe his last major injury, a torn ACL in the 2024 regular season finale, will indeed be his last major injury, though. If they didn't believe in Watson's ability to stay healthy moving forward, they wouldn't have given him a four-year, $92 million contract extension this offseason.
2025 Synopsis:
Watson did look great after he came back from that torn ACL. In 10 games, he caught 35 passes for 611 yards and six touchdowns. He averaged 17.5 yards per catch and showed off a more well-rounded route tree as well as some awesome hands.
In the playoffs against the Chicago Bears, Watson caught three passes for 36 yards and a touchdown.
Notable Quotables:
"He embodies what we want to be about. I think he's a team-first kind of guy. Never once over the course of four years have I ever heard him complain about not getting the ball. He does all the little things the right way. He handles himself the right way." - Matt LaFleur
Projected Role in 2026:
Watson is Jordan Love's top receiver and he'll battle alongside Tucker Kraft to be Love's favorite target in 2026. The big prediction here is that he'll stay relatively healthy all season.
Previous Rankings:
