Packers-Bears Final Injury Report: Watson Officially Out
GREEN BAY, Wis. – Christian Watson will not get a chance to make amends for dropping last year’s season-opening bomb at Minnesota.
The Green Bay Packers’ big-play receiver has been ruled out for Sunday’s Week 1 game at the Chicago Bears, coach Matt LaFleur said after Friday’s practice. Watson took part in the opening stretch but did not join his teammates on the field for the final practice of the week.
The team’s other so-called veteran receiver, Romeo Doubs, is questionable. Doubs practiced for a second consecutive day. Will he play? If he does play, how effective will he be? And for how many snaps? Those are questions LaFleur will have to contemplate before Sunday’s 3:25 p.m. kickoff.
Doubs sounded optimistic on Thursday and equally so on Friday.
“It was another good day,” he said. “Again, 48 hours away. Just got to keep building up and see where we’re at. So far, so good.”
Assuming the trends continue, the Packers will line up against Chicago with Doubs, second-year receiver Samori Toure and rookies Jayden Reed, Malik Heath and Dontayvion Wicks as their five receivers. They could elevate first-year player Bo Melton or rookie Grant DuBose from the practice squad, as well.
As rookies, Doubs caught 42 passes and Toure caught five. None of the others have played in a regular-season game.
None of those players have Watson’s game-breaking potential, either. During last year’s late-season win at Chicago, Watson’s 46-yard touchdown run put away the game. At that point, it was Watson’s seventh touchdown in a span of four games. Doubs (three) and Toure (one) combined for four touchdowns all year.
Green Bay went 1-2 last year when Watson was inactive due to a hamstring injury. LaFleur said the injury history will be taken into account when determining when Watson is ready to return, but he also noted Watson’s history of being a fast healer in saying it was a week-to-week injury rather than a long-term issue.
Meanwhile, left tackle David Bakhtiari will get the start without taking a single snap of practice. Bakhtiari didn’t practice on Wednesday and Thursday and hung out by the exercise bikes in the Don Hutson Center when everyone else ran out for the start of practice on Friday.
“Practice is important,” Bakhtiari said on Thursday. “But not everyone needs practice. That’s about as clean as I can get it.”
It’s not as if Bakhtiari has been sitting on the soft eating cupcakes all week. As he enters Year 10, Bakhtiari has a lot of history – “banked reps,” as coaches and players like to say – to lean on.
“There’s a lot behind closed doors with walk-throughs and stuff that we have in our facility that not everyone sees,” offensive coordinator Adam Stenavich said on Thursday.
“David prepares very diligently in those realms and does a really good job. As far as practice, yes, you always want your guys out there. You always want them playing together. I think that’s a factor but, as the season goes and he’s out there every week, I think that will build. Him and Elgton (Jenkins) have played together.”
Packers Final Injury Report
Out: WR Christian Watson (hamstring).
Questionable: WR Romeo Doubs (hamstring).
Bears Final Injury Report
Questionable: LB Dylan Cole (hamstring).
Safeties Eddie Jackson and Jaquan Brisker were full participation for a second consecutive day and are off the report.
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