The Green Bay Packers spent all offseason trying to fix their problems at receiver and it appears to be all for nothing in the opening week of the preseason. The Packers receiver room had a dreadful performance in the preseason opener against the New York Jets and things got worse when a slew of injuries hit the group in Tuesday’s practice.
With several receivers sidelined, the Packers have had to hit the free agent wire to find reinforcements and it’s led them back to a receiver that didn’t last long during his first stint in Green Bay.
🧀Since we lost half our WR room to injury today the Packers are signing WR Kawaan Baker off waivers.
— CheeseheadTV 🧀 (@cheeseheadtv) August 12, 2025
Baker was a 7th Round Pick in 2021 (255th Overall) with the Saints, then had a few brief stints with other teams including Green Bay back in 2022 for a couple of weeks. pic.twitter.com/bwWDkxJfds
Packers Reportedly Bring Back WR Kawaan Baker Amid Wave of Injuries
The Packers have claimed wide receiver Kawaan Baker off waivers from the Las Vegas Raiders as they look to navigate the wave of injuries from Tuesday’s practice. While the move has yet to become official, Baker’s return is a formality as the team waived defensive back Isaiah Dunn as he had been nursing a knee injury.
Baker was a seventh-round pick by the New Orleans Saints in the 2021 draft and played in two games as a special teamer in his rookie season. The University of South Alabama product was hit with a six-game suspension for violating the NFL’s performance-enhancing drugs policy in 2022 and was released by New Orleans, leading to him to spend about three weeks on the Packers' practice squad befor his release in November 2022.
After returning to the Saints in 2023 and spending training camp with the Patriots in 2024, he lasted just one week with the Raiders before his return to Green Bay.
A player that hasn’t played in an NFL game since 2021, Baker is unlikely to be a seismic addition to the receiver room. But he may be enough just to get Green Bay by considering the current state of the position.
Dontayvion Wicks missed Saturday’s preseason opener with a calf injury before Jayden Reed suffered a foot sprain in the game against the Jets. The injuries mounted in Tuesday’s practice when Romeo Doubs left with a back injury and rookie Savion Williams left with an undisclosed injury.
As of Wednesday morning, it appears that each case will not prevent players from missing time in the regular season, but the Packers injured list is mounting with Jordan Love undergoing surgery on his left thumb on Tuesday. Baker will be a player that can get the Packers through the preseason, but they’ll need to stay healthy to avoid a slow start to the year.