Packers Took Risk for Christian Watson’s Return in Week 8 Win
For Packers receiver Christian Watson, Week 8 was long circled on the calendar as the best potential return spot from the devastating knee injury that he suffered in the final week of the season last January. ACL tears take a minimum of nine months to heal, and because Week 8 was just a bit more than nine months after he had surgery, it seemed the ideal time for Watson to do his rehab, get in some practice work, then be game-ready.
The fact that the season debut came against Aaron Rodgers, Watson’s first quarterback in Green Bay, was just a bonus.
As it turned out, an even bigger bonus came once Watson got into the flow of the game. Watson wound up playing 36 snaps, more than what the Packers had prescribed coming into the game.
That was the admission from Packers coach Matt LaFleur on Monday morning: “He actually played a little bit more than we anticipated but it was something we were monitoring the whole game. … I don’t think you can treat every play the same. It’s different if you’re on the back side if you’re run blocking vs. if you’re running a post down the field. I think there’s a little bit of wiggle room there.”
Christian Watson ‘Played a Lot of Ball’ for Packers
Amazingly, Watson looked as though he’d never been injured at all, going for 83 yards and catching all four passes that came his way from Jordan Love. As LaFleur pointed out, he was effective, too, as a blocker, throwing a key hit to help spring Tucker Kraft for a touchdown.
Watson was given a 79.6 grade for the night by Pro Football Focus, fifth-best on the team’s offense.
LaFleur said that Watson’s ability to accomplish the little things of the Packers offense was noticeable on Sunday night.
“Where you can tell is just the detail with how we do certain things. He has played a lot of ball for us and he has a great understanding of what we’re trying to accomplish.” the coach said.
Packers Have Been Seeing Improvement in Practice
LaFleur also said he was not surprised by Watson’s performance. Teammates and coaches have been raving about how good Watson looked in practice, and his showing on Sunday was just evidence of that.
“It’s the same thing we’ve been seeing in practice,” LaFleur said. “He’s a guy that just obviously brings an element to our offense and to our team, just the size, the speed—talked about it, many times, his versatility. So, I think that definitely showed true.
“You saw his presence felt not only in the passing game with those explosion plays but also as a blocker downfield. There was a heck of a block on Tucker’s first touchdown, there was some good stuff in the run game. He’s just a really big piece for us.”
Browns Predicted to Add Undefeated Star to Replace Dillon Gabriel
It would be just the Browns‘ luck, wouldn’t it, to have two first-round picks (one likely a Top 5 pick) in a 2026 NFL draft that has depth and quality at a number of positions … but not so much at quarterback. It’s a legacy that stretches back more than three decades, the Browns’ inability to draft and develop a top-line quarterback, and there is real fear that the 2026 draft might not be the one to help them much.
Still, after five games of Dillon Gabriel, and unless there is a late-season revelation on Shedeur Sanders as a future star, the Browns will need to pick a quarterback in six months. The pool might be slim, but at Cleveland.com, they’ve got a path for the Browns to get a guy who has shown some toughness and grit–and who happens to be 6-foot-5, a nice contrast to the diminutive Gabriel.
The quarterback: Fernando Mendoza of undefeated Indiana.
Browns Could Land Top 2026 QB
Now, it should be noted that the mock draft does feature a big break for the Browns, in that the team lands with the fourth pick and none of the Top 3 pick a quarterback. That’s plausible, since two of the worst teams in the league–the Titans and Giants–appear to have QB1s in place. A third, the Saints, could decide they need to give last year’s second-rounder, Tyler Shough, a shot.
So the Browns get the pick of the QB litter.
Writes Tim Bielik of Cleveland.com: “Mendoza right now is QB1 and his game-winning drive at Penn State on Saturday only solidified that standing. He has just about everything a quarterback needs except for an elite deep ball. Mendoza has taken the next step as a quarterback under Curt Cignetti and looks like the type of QB who could turn a team like the Browns back around quickly.”
Fernando Mendoza Early QB 1 Leader
There is some debate on who is the top quarterback in this draft, with Ty Simpson of Alabama getting some of that attention, and Oregon’s Dante Moore also in the mix. And the one worrying aspect of it all is that none of those three were considered sure-fire first-rounders heading into this season. If only Arch manning had lived up to his hype, this might be an easy call.
Still, the Browns are unmistakably in the market for a quarterback, and Mendoza shines as a sort of anti-Gabriel–big and strong, poised in the pocket, while being both accurate and willing to take risks down the field. According to Pro Football Focus, Mendoza is not all that bad with the deep passes, completing 18 of his 33 passes of 20 yards or more this year.
(Worth noting: Gabriel is 2-for-8 on such passes with the Browns thus far.)
Mendoza’s completion percentage (71.3%) is excellent, and he has racked up 2,342 yards on the season in 10 games. The only games in which he did not top 200 yards passing were blowouts against Old Dominion and UCLA.
Browns Could Also Add a Top WR With Fernando Mendoza
The good news for the Browns on their second first-rounder is that, should the team turn to more offensive help with that pick, there is a deep pool of first-round-worthy receivers on hand, and Cleveland should do what it can to pluck one of them.
The Cleveland.com mock has them landing USC’s Makai Lemon, who has been one of the most productive pass-catchers in college football. But Jordyn Tyson (Arizona State), Carnell Tate (Ohio State), Chris Bell (Louisville), and Denzel Boston (Washington) are also worth watching.
