Amid the hullaballoo that followed the Packers‘ very convincing win over the Commanders on Thursday was the stark reality of a difficult injury for the offense–wide receiver Jayden Reed, the team’s top slot man, broke his collarbone and will be out for 6-8 weeks.
In place of Reed will be … well, that’s where things get interesting.
The Packers, in fact, will replace Reed from a multitude of angles, a reflection of the depth of their receiver room. While that pack of receivers has taken some criticism for lacking a true WR1, there is no doubting its depth of talent. Reed was already limited with a foot injury, and had tallied three catches for 45 yards in the opener against the Lions.
The Packers have been getting steady play from Romeo Doubs, and the Reed injury could see Dontayvion Wicks move into the slot, with Malik Heath getting more opportunities. Considering the Packers‘ heavy use of two-tight-end sets, the offense can withstand Reed’s absence.
But one of the big sidelights in all this will be whether Reed’s injury kickstarts some opportunities for the Packers‘ two exciting rookies, first-round pick Matthew Golden and third-rounder Savion Williams.
Packers’ Matthew Golden Has 4 Targets in 2025
Golden is of special interest because he was the fastest player in the 2025 NFL draft combine, with a 4.28 40-yard dash. He was, famously, the first wide receiver the Packers drafted in the first round since 2002, when they took Javon Walker.
The Packers have tried to use that speed to stretch defenses in the first two weeks, and the team has yet to find success with those deep looks. Golden has been targeted four times but only had two catches, for total of 16 yards, with 11 being his longest play. Green Bay is using him on the outside but could move Golden into the slot.
Golden has downplayed his place in Packers history, and thus far, he has not had much impact beyond being a deep threat–we’ve yet to see that threat materialize.
“I just feel like I’ve been waiting my whole life to get in the position I’m in right now,” Golden said just before the start of the season, via the Associated Press. “At the end of the day, it’s still football. It’s the sport I’ve been playing since I was a kid. That’s just how I treat it.”
Savion Williams Opportunities Coming?
Williams will be a case worth watching, too. He had shoulder surgery in college, which was one reason the Packers were able to nab him in the third round, but he had more health issues once camp got rolling–a concussion and a hamstring problem.
Williams had one catch for one yard in the Packers‘ opener, and was not targeted in Week 2. But he did have two sweep plays in the run game, one of which picked up 16 yards. That was a specialty of his at TCU, where he ran 51 times for 322 yards last year, scoring six rushing touchdowns. That’s a big reason he was compared frequently to Deebo Samuel coming out of the draft.
The Packers, clearly, want to get him the ball. Reed’s injury will give him more opportunities.
Packers’ Jayden Reed Injury Could Have Big Impact on Rookie WRs