Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson has a high-ankle sprain, will miss multiple weeks moving forward and could land on injured reserve, per Ian Rapoport of NFL Network.
Watson suffered the left ankle injury in the first quarter of Sunday’s loss to the Minnesota Vikings. On a contested throw, Watson got his leg trapped under a defender as he fell to the ground backwards — creating the injury mechanism.
Watson was able to walk off the field under his own power, but after an evaluation in the blue medical tent, the Packers carted him from the sideline to the locker room.
The good news is this isn’t a soft-tissue injury. Watson worked all offseason to fix a muscle imbalance in his legs and help prevent hamstring and other soft-tissue issues in his lower body. The bad news is injuries like this can’t be avoided in a physical contact sport like football. If Watson didn’t have bad injury luck, he’d have no injury luck at all. He will miss games for the third straight season to start his NFL career and could be headed for injured reserve for the second straight season.
Going on short-term injured reserve would require missing at least four games. The Packers play the Los Angeles Rams, Arizona Cardinals, Houston Texans and Jacksonville Jaguars over the next four weeks. Matt LaFleur’s team is five games away from the Week 10 bye, so it’s possible a Week 11 return against the Chicago Bears is a target.
Without Watson available on Sunday, the Packers leaned more on second-year receiver Dontayvion Wicks, who shook off a few early missed opportunities to catch a pair of fourth-quarter touchdown passes. Romeo Doubs and Jayden Reed would continue in starting roles, with Bo Melton or Malik Heath possibly receiving more snaps in four-receiver sets.
If Watson goes on injured reserve, a roster spot would open. The Packers have three receivers on the practice squad, but with five others currently on the 53-man roster, adding a sixth receiver might not be necessary.
Watson has five catches for 80 yards and a touchdown over four games in 2024. He was injured on his one and only target of Sunday’s loss to the Vikings.