There are two views of the Packers‘ receiver room, and how you see the unit will probably dictate how you see what 2023 second-round pick Jayden Reed posted on social media on Tuesday. On one hand, the group could be viewed as deep and bustling with young talent. On the other, it can be called a slate packed with No. 2 and 3 receivers, without a true star in the bunch.
Either way, Reed has to be viewed as one of the best on the team, certainly as one of Jordan Love’s favorite targets. He led the Packers with 64 catches as a rookie in 2023, and led them again with 55 catches last season. Again, those are not All-Pro numbers. But they do show where Reed fits in this offense.
When healthy, that is. Reed broke his collarbone in Week 2. After going for three catches and 45 yards with a touchdown in the opening win against the Lions, Reed went down early in the Week 2 win over the Commanders and has now missed more than two months. But, well, that may be about to change.
Jayden Reed in Uniform on Twitter/X
On Tuesday, Reed posted on Twitter/X a photo of himself in his Packers white uniform, appearing to get ready to enter a game. He offered no caption, but the message was clear–he feels he’s ready to get back on the field.
Reed has been practicing along with the team, but has done so only off to the side–technically, not with the team. He is still listed as being on injured reserve, which means he had to miss four games under NFL rules. That threshold has been passed, obviously.
Now, the Packers will need to re-open his practice window, which will allow Reed to return to workouts with the team. Once the Packers do that, Reed has three weeks to come back to game action, or else he goes back on IR.
But all indications are the team will open his window and get him back on the field.
HeavyPackers star Jayden Reed on Twitter/X
Packers Had Jayden Reed Fix Foot, Too
Reed was originally slated to miss 6-8 weeks after having surgery to repair the collarbone in mid-September. As coach Matt LaFleur said at the time, “He’s going to miss a lot of time. We’ll see how fast he can recover and heal, and certainly I would expect him back at some point this season, but obviously it’s a big blow to us.”
If he returns to play in Week 12, it will mark 10 weeks. The delay is likely because, while the collarbone set him out, he also used the time to have surgery to repair a Jones fracture in his foot, an injury he suffered in training camp but was trying to play through.
Packers Could Get MarShawn Lloyd Back, Too
LaFleur did address the possible return to action for the Packers of both Reed and injury-riddled 2024 third-round pick MarShawn Lloyd, who has been out since training camp with a hamstring injury.
“Potentially,” LaFleur said when asked if both could be back this week. “We’ll have a better idea over the next two days.”
Like Heavy Sports’s content? Be sure to follow us.
This article was originally published on Heavy Sports
The post Packers Injured Star’s Cryptic Post Raises Hopes in Week 12 appeared first on Heavy Sports.