Another year, another devastating injury to wide receiver Jayden Reed. It's a terrible trend that's emerged over the last two seasons for the Packers' stud playmaker, who just signed a three-year, $50 million extension to stay in Green Bay this offseason. Now, the Packers are without one of their most vital playmakers at a position where they punted on depth and insurance this past offseason.
Reed was carted off the field in the Packers' Week 2 visit to the New York Jets, and head coach Matt LaFleur confirmed on Wednesday that he will miss the rest of the season with a neck injury. The 26-year-old appeared in just seven games last year, and only two in 2026. He was expected ot play a significant role, largely out of the slot, while Christian Watson and Matthew Golden handle duties on the outside.
This injury update could have serious ramifications for the Packers offense moving forward. Behind their top two options, the Packers are relatively thin at the position, with two-time Super Bowl champion Skyy Moore expected to enter an accelerated role after being brought in largely to handle kickoff and punt return duties.
Just as they've scoured the free-agent landscape to bolster their abysmal offensive line with veterans, the Packers could find themselves doing the same thing for their wide receiver room after this devastating news.
Will the Green Bay Packers answer their wide receiver problems from within, or recruit a veteran to bolster their lineup?
Moore struggled as a slot receiver in his first game without Reed, catching just three of his seven targets for 31 yards, but remained effective as a returner with 134 return yards against Atlanta. So the question remains: can he make an impact on the team as a primary receiving option? He won't have a lot of time to figure that out before Green Bay is forced to make some tough decisions.
Moore had the third-most offensive snaps among Packers wideouts in Week 3, with Bo Melton contributing 21 snaps to J. Michael Sturdivant's 20. One of the three will be forced to break out and fast if they want to solidify a role in this offense.
Otherwise, we could see the Packers follow the same strategy they've deployed on the offensive line and seek out a veteran free agent to fill the void. Some of the more noteworthy names on the market include Tyreek Hill, who is working his way back from a knee injury, DeAndre Hopkins, who has become a journeyman at this phase of his career, or former Giants wideout Darius Slayton, who is reportedly healthy after recovering from a handful of injuries.
These are just a few of the dozens of names the Packers' front office will sort through as they figure out where to go from here, but if history tells us anything, they'd prefer that someone already on their roster can step up, fill the void left by Reed's injury, and emerge as a legit wideout threat.
It's hard to imagine they're not missing Dontayvion Wicks or Romeo Doubs, but the Packers don't have time to look back. They need to figure this situation out now, or else their miserable start to the season might come back to bite them even worse down the line.
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