One of the few bright spots for the Green Bay Packers in the first week of the regular season was an incredible game from primary receiver Christian Watson. However, the rest of the depth chart offered an uneven performance leaving room to question Green Bay's offseason decisions at receiver. Adding to this momentum was the Philadelphia Eagles debut of Dontayvion Wicks. The pass catcher made one of the biggest plays of the game with a 64 yard catch finishing the game with a pair of catches and 73 total yards scoring a touchdown.
Wicks made an electric catch that sparked a struggling Philadelphia offense and served as a reminder that perhaps the Packers gave up on the receiver just a bit too soon. Wicks was dealt in exchange for two day three picks and basicaly thrown away in an effort to bring a level of clarity to the starting lineup and the Green Bay depth chart.
The Packers could've used the speed and playmaking of Wicks late in Sunday's game when everything was falling apart. Green Bay appeared to lack trust in anyone but Watson to make a play and the Vikings quickly caught onto this and focused attention on shutting down the primary pass catcher.
It is fair to question if things could've played out differently if Wicks were still rostered. There should at least be a conversation after Week 1 as to why the Packers felt the deal was needed and why punting away a player on an expiring deal was being viewed as an obvious decision.
Packers Already Have Reason to Regret Parting Ways with Dontayvion Wicks After Receiver's Philly Debut
Keeping Wicks even on an expiring deal made a great deal of sense when looking at the current depth chart. Jordan Love is used to having a wealth of talent and there are injury questions around Watson and reason to question what the ceiling of Matthew Golden might be. Putting it simply, there is no argument against Wicks finding a way to make an impact for the Packers just as he did for the Eagles on Sunday.
What will be interesting to watch is how the Packers continue to manage the position and whether or not any depth moves are made. Much of this will likely depend on the health of Watson and whether or not the pass catcher can manage to make it through a season healthy for the first time in his career.
Green Bay's front office is typically savvy and there is nearly a full season remaining to judge the deal with one week being an incredibly small sample size. Still, there is no denying just how impactful Wicks was in his debut and how much fans would've appreciated this impact coming in a Green Bay uniform.
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