Why This Battle at Packers Training Camp Will Matter More Than Anyone Thinks

This offseason, the Green Bay Packers went on a diet at receiver.

They let Romeo Doubs sign with the Patriots in free agency and traded Dontayvion Wicks to the Eagles. Suddenly, Green Bay’s bloated receiver corps got significantly slimmer and trimmer.

That’s led to a lot of flowery talk about a less-is-more passing game, with coach Matt LaFleur and quarterback Jordan Love not having to worry about keeping all of their talented receivers involved.

“I think a year ago, I think we all saw it, man. It was hard to get everybody the amount of touches that we’d like to get them,” coach Matt LaFleur said. “So, I think this is an opportunity to kind of reset everything and we’ve got more opportunities for everybody in that room.”

Following his comeback from a torn ACL, Christian Watson’s 10-game production equated to more than 1,000 receiving yards. No receiver has given his quarterback a higher passer rating when targeted over the last three years than Jayden Reed. Matthew Golden’s first-round talent, which had been pushed to the back burner because of the number of proven receivers, showed during the playoff loss to the Bears.

Can Watson, Reed, Golden Carry the Load?

The offseason moves mean the Packers have gone from an abundance of proven receivers to a scarcity. It’ll all work out for them if Watson, Reed and Golden stay healthy.

“I think it’ll be huge,” Love said. “I’ve always been a big believer in getting in rhythm, finding a rhythm, finding a flow. That’s how you find consistency and start making plays.”

It could be a disaster if they don’t.

Health is the obvious elephant in the room.

Through a combination of depth at the position and injuries, Watson’s snap counts were 46.3 percent as a rookie in 2022, 40.7 percent in 2023, 51.2 percent in 2024 and 39.8 percent in 2025. Reed played 52.7 percent as a rookie in 2023, 63.2 percent in 2024 and 16.2 percent in 2025. Golden played 43.0 percent as a rookie in 2025.

Watson in four seasons has played in 45 of a possible 68 games. He played in more than 10 games in two of four seasons and never more than 15. Reed played in 33 of a possible 34 games during his first two seasons before injuries on his foot and a broken collarbone limited him to seven last year. Golden played in 14 last year.

The season-defining question for the Packers isn’t so much whether they are good enough to carry a bigger load in the passing game. It’s whether they are durable enough to handle the rigors of that bigger role.

It’s not just injuries. Receivers can’t play every snap. It’s just too physically taxing. Especially if the Packers are in comeback mode and one or more of the Big Three are gassed, will the Packers have a legitimate weapon to put on the field?

There are no Wicks or Doubs waiting to fill the void. At least not yet.

That’s why this training camp will be so important. There is no plug-and-play depth. It will have to be developed. From No. 4 through No. 10 on Green Bay’s receiver depth chart, they combined to catch 19 passes last season.

Here is a look at who’s behind the new Big Three.

Returning Receivers for Packers

Savion Williams: A third-round pick last year, Williams played 91 snaps in 12 games before going on injured reserve with a foot injury that had bothered him for weeks. He caught all 10 targets for 78 yards. One catch was on a pass thrown 33 yards downfield. The other nine were caught 16 yards behind the line of scrimmage.

His Year 2 jump will be absolutely critical. He must show he can be a legitimate receiver rather than just someone to get the ball to on screens and end-arounds.

Bo Melton: A seventh-round pick by Seattle in 2022, Melton joined the Packers at the end of his rookie season. He caught 16 passes in 2023, eight in 2024 and four in 2025, when he spent most of his practice time at cornerback.

“I feel like I’m getting used to it again,” he said. “Like, I don’t think I ever lost it. It was more so the reps, getting the reps in practice, the connection. That was the part where you know I didn’t have as much last year – like any at all – so having that and getting back into it felt good.

Can a player with 28 receptions in four years in the NFL be a real, honest-to-goodness playmaker in his fifth season?

Isaiah Neyor: Neyor was an undrafted free agent last year who joined the Packers during training camp. He didn’t play in the regular season but got a few snaps in the playoff game.

Other than Watson, there aren’t many receivers in the NFL with a better combination of size and speed.

“He’s really shown a lot of flashes of excellence,” LaFleur said.

With two big subractions at receiver for the Packers, the door is wide open for one of the young players.

Isaiah Neyor is ready to grab a roster spot. ⬇️https://t.co/byeaHNSDQl
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) June 17, 2026

Will Sheppard: Sheppard went undrafted last year after catching 198 passes and scoring 27 touchdowns during his final four seasons at Vanderbilt and Colorado. He spent the season on the practice squad, aside from one game on the 53, but didn’t get any game action. He scored a couple touchdowns during the offseason practices.

New Receivers for Packers

Skyy Moore: A second-round pick by the Chiefs in 2022, Moore caught 22 passes as a rookie and 21 in 2023 but zero in six games in 2024 and was traded to the 49ers before last season. He caught five passes in 17 games but starred as a kickoff and punt returner, which is why the Packers signed him in free agency.

Skyy Moore perhaps saved his career last season. Now, he'll try to save the Packers' special teams.

Here's more on the receiver/returner and our grade. ⬇️https://t.co/mW9tAN7sXx
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) March 11, 2026

J. Michael Sturdivant: The brother of a Dallas Cowboys cheerleader, Sturdivant has a tantalizing combination of size and athleticism. He had a quiet set of offseason practices, though a lot of that was the byproduct of playing alongside learning-on-the-fly quarterbacks who were reluctant to push the ball downfield.

“They didn’t draft a receiver,” he said. “They got a great receiver room, they have a great quarterback, a great head coach that calls great plays. And it’s got a lot of stability, and that’s something that I never really had in my college career.”

Brenden Rice: The son of the legendary Jerry Rice signed with the Packers before OTAs. He was a seventh-round pick by the Chargers in 2024 but hasn’t played in a game.

“Once I get this offense down and I get comfortable, it’s going to be dangerous,” he said.

Packers WR Brenden Rice is the son of the legendary Jerry Rice. We talked about being the son of the GOAT, the opportunity for him and perhaps a legendary non-fumble.https://t.co/Y3wSY5mVgt
— Bill Huber (@BillHuberNFL) June 25, 2026

Added together, the Packers will enter training camp with three proven receivers. Less can be more. Or, less can be less.

There is obvious talent behind Watson, Golden and Reed. The Packers will need one or more to emerge as a reliable threat.

“I think there could be some positives from that,” general manager Brian Gutekunst said. “That depends on if you stay healthy, right? So, for me, I’d like to have as many good players as you can because, if you do have injuries, you want guys that are ready to step in and have enough talent to perform.

“I do think that there is something to be said that if you can stay healthy and there’s continuity on the field, that you can be much a better team late into the season and into the playoffs because your players had so many reps on third down, red zone, different things like that. Last year with Christian missing the first half and Jayden missing [11 games], I don’t know if we ever developed that as much as we probably wanted to. But I’d rather really have a bunch of really, really good players and have the issue of having the mouths to feed more so than not having them.”

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