Packers Offseason/Free Agency Thread

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There's more randomness than most people think. Watson might never have a another hamstring injury. He might have one the first practice. Having good training and therapy plans can help, but they just shift the odds. They don't guarantee anything.

due to the fact that watson has missed multiple game every year (even in college) to hamstring injuries, its a pretty safe bet hes gonna hurt it again

there is seriously something not right with the way he is made, or at least the way his right hamstring is made

he missed 8 game last season with 2 separate right hamstring injuries
missed 3 games his rookie year week 1, 6 and 7 due to his right hamstring
and missed 3 games his senior year in college for right hamstring issues

[run pMc]

due to the fact that watson has missed multiple game every year (even in college) to hamstring injuries, its a pretty safe bet hes gonna hurt it again

there is seriously something not right with the way he is made, or at least the way his right hamstring is made

he missed 8 game last season with 2 separate right hamstring injuries
missed 3 games his rookie year week 1, 6 and 7 due to his right hamstring
and missed 3 games his senior year in college for right hamstring issues

Now do Jaire, Stokes, and Bahktiari. Ope, Bahktiari's been cut.

I don't think Watson's injury issues will completely go away - dude is really tightly wired and I think he'll always be easily dinged up as a result - but I think if his availability improves by even 50% that's a big win for GB. Jayden Reed will see a lot of attention this year, Watson is needed to threaten defenses.
The worrying part is how many right hamstring injuries can he sustain before it completely snaps and/or he loses his speed & explosion?

[Frozen Tundra]

I don't think Watson's injury issues will completely go away - dude is really tightly wired and I think he'll always be easily dinged up as a result - but I think if his availability improves by even 50% that's a big win for GB. Jayden Reed will see a lot of attention this year, Watson is needed to threaten defenses.
The worrying part is how many right hamstring injuries can he sustain before it completely snaps and/or he loses his speed & explosion?

I think this is going to be a career-long issue with him. You're right; chronic recurring hamstring strains frequently have a cumulative effect making reinjury increasingly more likely with each recurrence. I think the biggest issue is that in order to heal properly, the athlete needs to take a lot more time to rest and rehab the injury than the NFL can afford to give him. Hamstrings usually take several weeks (or months) to fully heal, and it's very difficult for a player to take that much time. But if they come back before it's fully healed, it becomes not just likely but probable that they'll reinjure the muscle.

Hamstring injuries account for 12% of all primary injuries in the NFL, and the recurrence rate is 32%. Players also have a 24% chance of sufffering a separate lower-body injury that same season (ankle, knee, groin, etc), from compensating for the hamstring. Wide receivers suffer 55% of all hamstring injuries in the NFL, and are more likely to suffer recurrences.

He may never have another hamstring issue as long as he lives, but the odds are stacked against him. This season is probably his make or break year. If he can sail through 24 without another tweak, maybe we can be optimistic - but if he misses significant time again, we may have to accept that availability is always going to be questionable with him.