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Christian Watson enters year 5 with Green Bay

The Green Bay Packers have been unable to break away from the doldrums of mediocrity in their skill player group. Their core of skill players ranked 17th for the third straight season, according to Bill Barnwell of ESPN.

Every year, the group looks pretty good on paper, but every year, there is a reason to hold them back and place them right below average.

“I swear this isn’t a running joke,” wrote Barnwell. “If there’s any group of playmakers that settles in right around average on an annual basis, though, it’s the young talent in Green Bay.”

Barnwell noted that on paper, they could be viewed as a top-five unit. However, it has not come together yet, and because it consistently does not come together for Green Bay, it is hard to expect it to happen this time.

The Green Bay Packers Have an Average Group of Skill Players

The biggest issue for the team right now is that every single starting skill player brings in a notable question. Josh Jacobs might be one of their most stable pieces when everything is working. However, this year, he brings in far more questions than a standard season.

Jacobs had a knee injury on the field last year that will bring questions. Off the field, Jacobs is in the middle of a domestic dispute. His availability will be in question and the depth behind him brings more questions.

At tight end, Tucker Kraft has been ascending, but he tore his ACL in Week 8 of the 2025 season. That should be early enough that he will get on the field close to Week 1, but his performance might take a hit for a few weeks.

Christian Watson has a long list of injury questions behind him. He did finish the season healthy, though. Jayden Reed also finished the year healthy after a clavicle issue derailed most of his season. So, they should both be worth betting on, but neither is a sure thing.

Lastly, there is Matthew Golden, who is far from a sure thing. He was down the receiver pecking order last year, even with the injuries to Watson and Reed. However, he is a first-round pick and should get even more opportunities this year. If all three hit, Barnwell is correct that it can look like a top-five unit.

If not, the ranking is more than fair.

Packers Ranked Last in the NFC North

To make matters even worse, they were the lowest-rated group in the division. The Detroit Lions ranked first, which is tough to dispute with all of their skill talent.

The Minnesota Vikings came in at eighth. Fortunately for the Packers, Minnesota has a big question mark at quarterback that is holding them back. Lastly, the Chicago Bears ranked 15th after being 25th the year prior. The improvements of Luther Burden and Colston Loveland make it easy to buy into what the group can become.

The Packers are in a tough spot because their quarterback and defense might not be able to overcome the worst skill players in the division.