Packers go to desperate measures to unlock Christian Watson's potential

Soft tissue injuries have been a recurring theme for Green Bay Packers wide receiver Christian Watson, dating back to his college days at North Dakota State. So much so that the team has taken drastically desperate measures to unlock the potential that made him a second-round draft pick in 2022.

Watson missed eight games this past season and three the year prior because of hamstring issues, so Green Bay finally decided to take matters into their own hands.

Earlier this offseason, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur told reporters that Watson was sent to a "special lab" at the University of Wisconsin-Madison to address his frequent hamstring injuries. But the details were vague at the time. However, more info was revealed on Tuesday, highlighting how the team hopes this will help the dynamic 25-year-old wideout stay healthy.

Wes Hodkiewicz, senior writer for Packers.com, published a story about how Watson feels strong after his trip to Madison, Wisconsin, disclosing noteworthy tidbits.

Packers go to desperate measures to unlock Christian Watson's potential

Hodkiewicz notes that Watson met with experts at Badger Athletic Performance in Madison, Wisconsin, after the 2023 NFL season. He points out that the program is "part of the $4 million grant the NFL Scientific Advisory Board (SAB) awarded the medical researchers at UW-Madison in July 2021 to study prevention and treatment of hamstring injuries for elite football players." 

In Madison, Watson experienced extensive testing and body scans to understand why he continues to suffer soft tissue injuries. He told Hodkiewicz that one of the most significant things he learned was "the importance of symmetry between the strength of his two legs."

"Obviously, when you're trying to be equal in power, it obviously puts a lot more stress on the one that's not as strong," Watson said, per Hodkiewicz. "That's been the No. 1 thing for me because that leads to fatigue, as well ... that's been my No. 1 goal, to just kind of eliminate that," he added.

Now, Watson uses a NordBord, a device used to measure hamstring strength (or lack thereof). It tells him where/if he needs to get more muscular in specific areas based on various exercises. 

"We have a NordBord that tells us the power outputs and the asymmetry," Watson said. "I want to be perfectly symmetrical, so I'll continue to work on that," he added.

Hopefully, Watson and the Packers can reap the benefits of this offseason approach in 2024. Because if this doesn't help, it is hard to envision what will.