The Green Bay Packers will be without one of their best pass-catchers for a while. Jayden Reed sustained a collarbone injury, adding to the list of issues he is dealing with. With this latest injury forcing him to the sidelines, Reed has elected to have surgery to address a stress fracture in his foot.
That's why it was somewhat odd to see that they didn't place him on Injured Reserve (IR). Knowing that he will miss around eight weeks at the very least and is said to be out 'indefinitely,' that seemed to be the most logical move.
Nevertheless, that might just be a strategic move to accomodate Christian Watson once he's back on the field.
The Packers Don't Need to Place Jayden Reed on Injured Reserve
Watson is currently on Injured Reserve, but he's expected to practice as soon as he's eligible in Week 4. The Packers have a bye in the following week, so Watson could technically make his season debut in Week 6 against the Cincinnati Bengals.
That's when they could place Reed on Injured Reserve. In the meantime, if they don't need the roster spot, they can always not activate him for game day. That would save the team money against the cap, as placing him on IR would force their hand to sign someone else or call up someone from the practice squad.
The Packers have more than enough depth at wide receiver right now. Even with Watson also out, they should be able to get by with Romeo Doubs, Malik Heath, Dontayvion Wicks, and first-round rookie Matthew Golden. Every penny counts in this business.
Christian Watson Feels Ready to Play
It's been almost nine months since we last saw Christian Watson on the field. That's why Week 6 feels like a realistic date for his season debut. Even so, the former second-round pick is confident that he could play right now if it were a playoff game:
"I feel like if it was the NFC Championship Game tomorrow, I would be able to go out there and feel confident for sure," Watson told Rob Demovsky of ESPN. "But I mean, at the end of the day, I got to be as smart as I can with it and not let it be a long-term thing. Nine months is long enough, so I want to get the nine months out the way and come back and be 100% Christian Watson and go out there and not have to worry about it anymore."
Of course, there's no need for Watson to rush anything, either. He bet on himself with a one-year contract extension, but with his history of injuries, the team will be wise to err on the side of caution with him.