When will Packers' Christian Watson return from ACL injury? - ESPN

GREEN BAY, Wis. — When Christian Watson practiced on Monday, it had been 274 days since he tore the ACL in his right knee in the 2024 regular-season finale.

To the Green Bay Packers receiver, it may have felt like an eternity.

In ACL recovery terms, however, it was more like a flash.

Watson's return to practice marked the opening of a 21-day window in which he can practice without being added to the 53-man roster from the physically unable to perform list. Even if he takes the entire three weeks, he will still beat most ACL timelines. His return to practice came at the earliest possible time after missing the requisite four games.

No wonder he only briefly entertained the possibility of playing this Sunday against the Cincinnati Bengals (4:35 p.m. ET, CBS).

«Honestly, my goal for coming back to play is whenever I feel like I've put in the work enough and I'm confident after getting the team reps, getting the live reps and there are no setbacks,» Watson said Monday after doing only individual drills in the first practice after the Packers' bye week.

«I want to get back and have felt 100% and continue to feel 100%. That's my main thing. I'm not setting too much of a target date, this week or anything. It's really just as soon as I feel like I'm 100 percent and ready to go is when I'll play.»

Christian Watson is back on the practice field 274 days after he tore the ACL in his right knee.

His 21-day PUP practice window begins now. The Packers have three weeks to activate him for play. pic.twitter.com/oDNwd0q09c

The last two Packers players to return from ACL surgeries did not play for more than 10 months. Defensive end Rashan Gary tore his ACL on Nov. 6, 2022, and returned to practice 290 days later but did not play until