Malik Taylor Faces Uphill Battle to Make Packers Final Roster

For wide receiver Malik Taylor, a 2019 undrafted rookie from Division II Ferris State, making the Green Bay Packers 53-man roster has always been an uphill battle. However, this summer, his path to the final roster appears much more unclear.

Taylor has made the Packers’ initial 53-man roster in each of the last two seasons, seeing little action on offense with his primary responsibilities coming as a gunner on kick and punt coverage along with some kick return attempts as well.

He was a standout during the 2021 preseason, catching 14 of his 16 targets — including a few impressive sideline grabs — while averaging 13.2 yards per catch. In the regular season over the past two seasons, Taylor has seven receptions on nine targets for 80 yards and a touchdown, according to PFF ($$).

As a special teams player, Taylor never really stood out during the regular season, and he would really struggle on kick return duties once he took over for the injured Kylin Hill. Taylor’s 19.4 yards per return in 2021 ranked 76th in the NFL–although it’s not as if he was running behind a very good blocking unit either.

While Taylor has managed to impress over each of the last two summers to earn a roster spot, doing so in 2022 is going to be much more challenging. Even with all of the unknowns at the receiver position, this is a crowded room with many — or maybe all — of the roster spots already accounted for.

Malik Taylor faces an uphill battle to make the Green Bay Packers’ final roster.

If the Green Bay Packers keep six receivers, which is the most that they’ve rostered on the initial 53 under Matt LaFleur, then I believe there aren’t any roster spots available with Allen Lazard, Sammy Watkins, Amari Rodgers, Randall Cobb, Christian Watson, and Romeo Doubs being locks.

Now, if the Packers do choose to keep seven, Taylor will be fighting for that roster spot with rookie Samori Toure as well as Juwann Winfree. And at this point in time, I think it’s fair to say that out of the three, Taylor may rank third.

Toure was a gunner while at Nebraska and would fill that same role with the Packers on special teams. During OTAs and minicamp, he had several standout reps on special teams, according to Andy Herman of Packer Report, who was in attendance.

Like Taylor, Winfree also found success last summer, but that was derailed due to an injury. However, in Week 6 against Arizona, when the Packers were short on receivers, it was Winfree who was targeted six times while Taylor had none.

Whether it be Winfree, Taylor, or Toure, if either were to make the roster, it is going to be because of special teams play. The Packers’ veteran receivers will receive the bulk of the targets early on, with rookies Watson and Doubs having specific roles to fill.

On top of that, the tight ends and running backs will continue to be major factors in the passing game as well. With only one ball to go around, if there is a seventh receiver, they likely aren’t going to see much time on offense as long as everyone remains healthy.

Although Taylor may have the advantage over Toure and Winfree when it comes to special teams experience, that may not carry the same weight as it had in the past with the Packers coming off an abysmal special teams performance in 2021 and there being a new coordinator with a new system, which does level the playing field a bit.

As of now, I still believe that the Packers roster just six receivers on the initial 53, which eliminates Taylor from contention. But even if they choose to keep seven, Taylor is going to have to find a way to stand out over Toure and Winfree–both of whom have already made their marks on the Packers’ offseason programs.