Countdown to camp: Packers' receiving corps comes into focus

Packers
22 Jul 2026, 19:30 GMT+10

Christian Watson, Jayden Reed and Matthew Golden set to lead the way

Wes Hodkiewicz

"Countdown to camp" is a position-by-position overview of the Packers' roster heading into training camp. The series continues with the wide receivers and tight ends.

GREEN BAY This year, there is no debate.

The Packers made apparent the direction they're heading on offense when they extended receiversChristian WatsonandJayden Reedwithin weeks of one another this offseason.

Meanwhile, the team traded Dontayvion Wicks to Philadelphia and allowed Romeo Doubs to depart in free agency, clearing the way for 2025 top picksMatthew GoldenandSavion Williamsto assume larger roles in the passing game.

With those moves, a Green Bay offense with an overabundance of perimeter weapons has been distilled to an essential core, a unit that will be made whole once tight endTucker Kraftreturns from the torn ACLthat ended his promising 2025 campaign.

Kraft has a good example to follow in Watson, who caught 35 passes for 611 yards and six touchdowns in 10 gamesafter a late-October return from his own ACL tear.

Despite rehabbing the entire offseason in lieu of practice, the former second-round pick still charged out of the gate with four catches on four targets for 85 yards in his comeback game, a 35-25 triumph over the Pittsburgh Steelers.

The 6-foot-4, 215-pound wideout kept building momentum, as his 17.5 yards per reception marked the highest average among NFL receivers over the final 11 weeks of the season.

Of Watson's 35 receptions, 17 fell into the category of "explosive catches" of 16-plus yards, a 48.6 percentage that ranked third in the NFL among players with 30-plus receptions.

Watson's return came at a critical time for a Green Bay offense that lost Reed for 10 games after he broke his collarbone in a Week 2 matchup with Washington. Reed found his groove in the playoffs, catching four passes for 43 yards and a TD in the Packers' 31-27 loss to Chicago in the NFC Wild Card round.

While Watson and Reed lead the room, perhapsnobody stands to gain more from Green Bays offseason alterations than Golden, the team's 2025 first-round pick who turned in the best performance of his rookie season against the Bears in the playoffs.

Known for his speed and elusiveness, the 5-foot-11, 191-pound wideout showed fight while barreling through Chicago defenders en route to a 23-yard touchdown that extended the Packers' lead at the time to 27-16 with 6 minutes, 36 seconds to go.

It was an encouraging moment for Golden, who did not catch a TD in 14 regular-season appearances while missing three games with a shoulder injury and being limited in others by a wrist injury.

Williams, a third-round pick out of TCU, did a little of everything on offense before a persistent foot injury finally landed him on season-ending injured reserve.

The 6-foot-4, 222-pound wideout, a staple on end-arounds who drew pre-draft comparisons to Cordarrelle Patterson, caught 10 passes for 78 yards and a TD while rushing 11 times for 37 yards.

Despite the changes, the Packers still feel they have ample depth at receiver with the addition of free agentSkyy Mooreand the return ofBo Melton, who rejoined the receivers this summer after switching to cornerback last season.

One of the fastest players on the team and a standout on special teams, Melton has caught 16 passes for 218 yards and a touchdown for Green Bay over the past three seasons. He also seconded Williams on kickoff returns last year.

Moore, a second-round pick by Kansas City in 2022, has amassed 1,296 all-purpose yards in four NFL seasons. The 5-foot-10, 195-pound wideout gained Green Bay's attention after performing admirably on San Francisco's return units last year.

Moore missed the latter half of the offseason program with an apparent injury, freeing snaps for several young wideouts.

Perhaps no one did more with those opportunities thanIsaiah Neyor, who spent the early portion of the 2025 offseason with Moore in San Francisco before the 49ers released him a week into camp.

The 6-foot-4, 218-pound wideout quickly landed in Green Bay and spent his entire rookie season on the Packers' practice squad. He stood out this spring, flashing his speed and frequently catching passes with the second unit in 11-on-11 periods.

Will Sheppardis also back from the Packers' 2025 practice squad, joiningBrenden Rice(the son of the Hall of Fame receiver Jerry Rice) and undrafted rookieJ. Michael Sturdivantamong Green Bay's roster hopefuls.

As diverse as the Packers' receiving corps runs, Kraft brings an entirely different set of tools to the skill positions. The 2023 third-round pick was forcing missed tackles left and right before tearing his ACL against Carolina in Week 8.

Kraft was off to such a torrid start that he still tied for the team lead in touchdown catches (six) while finishing third in receiving yards (489) and fourth in receptions (32) despite missing the last nine games of the regular season.

Kraft's production proved difficult to replace. Fellow 2023 draft pickLuke Musgraveplayed all 17 games but finished with just 24 receptions for 252 yards and no scores.Josh Whyle, Kraft's replacement on the 53, added five catches for 36 yards and a TD.

Not helping matters was the loss of blocking tight end John FitzPatrick, who ruptured his Achilles against Chicago in Week 13. The 6-foot-7 tight end was an unrestricted free agent after the season and remains unsigned.

Like receiver, the Packers did not add to the tight end room through the draft. Instead, they'll look for practice-squad holdoversDrake DabneyandMessiah Swinson, and undrafted rookieRJ Maryland, whose dad Russell finished his Pro Bowl career with Green Bay in 2000, to push the room forward.

Prior to the summer break, Green Bay also added former Iowa tight endLuke Lachey. A 2025 seventh-round pick, Lachey spent his rookie season on Houston's practice squad.