Christian Watson #9 of the Green Bay Packers looks on prior to the game against the Washington Commanders at Lambeau Field on September 11, 2025 in Green Bay, Wisconsin.

Under NFL rules, the earliest the Packers can get wide receiver Christian Watson back on the field would be September 28, when the team travels to Dallas to play the Cowboys in what will be a ballyhooed Sunday night matchup. That’s because Watson, recovering from a torn ACL he suffered in the season finale in January, is on the physically unable to perform list, which requires he misses four games.

But if the stakes were high? Well, Watson said he would put side his rehab and be physically able to perform in an NFL game, in the right circumstance.

“I feel like if it was, you know, the NFC Championship Game tomorrow, I would be able to go out there and feel confident, for sure,” Watson said at his locker on Monday. “But I mean, at the end of the day, I gotta be as smart as I can with it and not let it be a long-term thing. Nine months is long enough, so I wanna get the nine months out the way and come back and be 100% Christian Watson and go out there and not have to worry about it anymore.”

Christian Watson Wants to Be 110%

Watson knows a lot when it comes to worrying about injuries. He had his 2023 campaign pretty much torpedoed by persistent hamstring problems, and probably tried to come back too fast, after missing the first three weeks of the season.

He got injured again and missed the final five weeks of the season. As much as he wants to get back on the field sooner rather than later, he knows that discretion is the better part of valor. Even if he could be ready for the end of September, that might not be the best way to proceed.

“I’m already champing at the bit,” Watson said. “I gotta listen to both shoulders. I gotta understand what’s the smartest way to go about it, at the same time, I feel like I’ve learned from experiences in the past of trying to get out there too quick, you know, unfortunately. I just gotta try to be as smart as possible so when I know that I’m ready. I’m gonna wanna get out there, but at the same time, I’ve gotta know that I’m 110% ready to go.”

Packers Give a Surprise Extension

Still, it has not been all physical therapy and rehab for Watson this offseason. He made some headlines by agreeing to a team-friendly one-year extension that, essentially, guarantees him $6 million for next season, and goes for $11 million if he plays the year.

Getting it done took some worry out of the equation for Watson.

“It was in the works for quite some time, on and off throughout the offseason. …” Watson said. “From the stuff on the field and the stuff off the field, definitely took a lot of pressure off of my mind and all that for sure.”

He acknowledged that it is a below-market number for a fully healthy version of himself. But Watson also recognizes that his issues staying healthy had to be weighed by the team.

“I know what I am capable of, I think that I know what I’m worth as a player when comparing it to the market and whatnot, but it’s a risk and reward when it comes down to it with the injuries that I’ve had in the past and obviously coming back from a major injury like this,” Watson said. “So, I mean, just weighing the risk and weighing the reward of going both ways with it.

Packers Wide Receivers Are Deep

It remains to be seen what kind of wide-receiver hierarchy that Watson will be coming back to when he does play. The team has had a difficult time establishing a No. 1 receiver, but drafted Matthew Golden in the first round this year to eventually fill that role. Jayden Reed, probably the top pick for the job in the meantime, is out with a broken collarbone.

But Golden has just two catches as tight end Tucker Kraft (eight catches, 140 yards) has been the leading man with receivers Romeo Doubs (five catches for 96 yards) and Dontayvion Wicks (six catches, 74 yards) leading the way on the outside.

Watson is still a speed threat. It’s uncertain where he’ll fit in, but he won’t know until he gets back on the field.

“I am always gonna want to play,” he said. “I don’t think that—if anyone offered me an opportunity to play, I would want to play every single time. But I definitely gotta learn when it’s the right decision and when it’s the wrong decision.”

Eventually, the Denver Broncos are going to find an elite tight end to pair with quarterback Bo Nix. It just might not be as soon as the franchise hoped.

For the Broncos, the next opportunity to improve might not be until 2026.

Bleacher Report took a close look at the Broncos’ roster after 2 weeks of the 2025 NFL regular season and singled out tight end as the team’s weakest link and the position the franchise needs to address the most in the 2026 NFL draft.

The best fit for the Broncos in the draft was singled out as University of Cincinnati tight end Joe Royer, a versatile 6-foot-5, 250-pound standout who is already shooting up draft boards but also a player Denver could get on Day 2 or Day 3 of the draft.

From B/R: “The Broncos added Evan Engram this offseason, but he’s not a long-term solution at the position. Sean Payton has generally featured tigh ends in his offense throughout his career … Joe Royer doesn’t have the same early hype as

Kenyon Sadiq and Jack Endries, but he has the frame (6’5″, 250 pounds) and blocking chops to be a traditional in-line Y. That would offer an upgrade over Adam Trautman and another important weapon for Bo Nix moving forward.”

Royer Left Big Ten Powerhouse For Bearcats

Royer spent the first 3 seasons of his career at Ohio State, where he was buried on the depth chart and only had 4 receptions for 24 yards and no touchdowns. He transferred to Cincinnati and had a breakout season in 2024 with 50 receptions for 521 yards and 3 touchdowns.

So far, The Ringer’s Todd McShay is the only draft insider to project Royer into the first round.

“Royer set a UC single-season record by a tight end with 50 catches in 2024,”

Sports Illustrated’s Russ Heltman wrote on May 5. “He turned those into 522 receiving yards and three touchdowns. It amounted to a 65.4 overall Pro Football Focus grade across 657 snaps. His run-blocking is the biggest weakness to beef up. If Royer can improve a 52.3 PFF run-blocking grade from 2024, he very well could be selected in the first 32 picks.”

Through the first 3 games of the 2025 season, Royer has 8 receptions for 138 yards and 2 touchdowns.

The Bearcats have had several tight ends drafted in the last 2 decades who went on to become NFL standouts. Brent Celek was drafted by the

Philadelphia Eagles in the fifth round (No. 162 overall) of the 2007 NFL draft and played all 11 of his NFL seasons there, retiring after an upset win over the New England Patriots in Super Bowl LII.

More famously, the Kansas City Chiefs drafted tight end Travis Kelce in the third round (No. 63 overall) of the 2013 NFL draft

. Kelce is a 7-time NFL All-Pro, 10-time Pro Bowler, 3-time Super Bowl champion and one of the greatest tight ends in NFL history.

Engram Seems Like Bust Through 2 Games

The Broncos signed Engram, a 2-time Pro Bowler, to a 2-year, $23 million free agent contract on March 12. His struggles early in the season were underlined in a 29-28 loss to the

Indianapolis Colts in Week 2 in which he had 1 reception for 12 yards on 2 targets.

“Evan Engram has been a real non-factor today,” The Denver Post’s Luca Evans wote on X on September 14. “Usage in Week 1 was a little odd at times too even before calf injury.”

Through the first 2 games, Engram has 4 receptions for 21 yards and no touchdowns.