Christian Watson injury update: Packers place WR on physically-unable-to-peform list

The Green Bay Packers have placed receiver Christian Watson on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list ahead of the 2025 season, the team announced Tuesday. The decision comes amid the deadline for teams to annouonce their 53-man rosters.

It’s not a surprising move, as Watson is still recovering from a torn ACL suffered in Week 18 against the Chicago Bears. He played in 15 games this past season to record 29 catches for 620 yards and two touchdowns.

Watson is getting ready to enter his fourth season with the Packers. He was selected in the second round of the 2022 NFL Draft out of North Dakota State.

“There’s kind of a timeline with these ACLs,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said earlier this month. “He’s ahead of the curve, no doubt about it, but, at the same time, he’s got a long career in front of him so we’re going to make sure we don’t skip any steps along the way. More than likely he’ll start the year on PUP.”

With Christian Watson sidelined for the beginning of the season, the Packers will need other players in their receiving corps to step up. First-round pick Matthew Golden out of Texas could potentially handle a heavy dose of target right off the bat as a rookie.

Other than him, Green Bay has Romeo Doubs and Dontayvian Wicks who could be expected to take on expanded roles. The Packers kick off the 2025 season on Sept. 7 against the Detroit Lions.

Packers cut three-time Super Bowl champion WR Mecole Hardman in surprise move

The Green Bay Packers have made a bit of a surprise move, deciding to release wide receiver Mecole Hardman, per FOX’s Jordan Schultz. The three-time Super Bowl champion signed with the franchise this past offseason, inking a one-year, $1.5 million deal.

Hardman played in just 12 games last season, not making too big of a contribution with the Kansas City Chiefs. On 14 targets, 12 of them resulted in catches for 90 yards. There was some efficiency in those receptions, with half of them resulting in first downs for his team.

It wasn’t all for naught though, as Kansas City did use Hardman on special teams at times. However, the final five games of the regular season saw Hardman watching from the sideline. He did not record a playoff appearance as the Chiefs made another run to the Super Bowl, before losing to the Philadelphia Eagles.

On3’s Steve Samra contributed to this report.