Packers General Manager Brian Gutekunst confirmed today that wide receiver Christian Watson, who suffered a torn ACL in Week 18, will miss the start of the 2025 regular season. And he said that plays a role in the Packers' need at wide receiver.
"Obviously Christian is going to miss some time, probably, at the beginning, more than likely," Gutekunst said. "We'll see where that goes. That's going to create opportunities for some guys on the roster that I'm excited for. We'll see how that shakes out. We have a long way to go. We've got free agency. the draft, everything coming up."
The Packers have drafted nine wide receivers in the second round since the last time they took a wide receiver in the first round, but Gutekunst said Green Bay doesn't necessarily view the second as a better round than the first to find good receivers.
"It's never been something like, 'We don't want to take wide receivers in the first round,'" Gutekunst said. "There were certainly opportunities we had when we thought that was going to happen and for whatever reason it didn't. But at the same time, we've had a lot of second-round receivers who have been good players for us. The immediate impact of wide receivers is changing because of the way these guys are coming out of school, where they can be more impactful quicker. But it's never been a philosophical thing for us, just more how it shook out."
The Packers hope it shakes out that they can find some help at the position — and that Watson makes a full recovery in time to make an impact before 2025 is over.
