The Green Bay Packers are making another pair of roster moves resulting from injuries after beginning their second block of OTA workouts this week.
According to NFL insider Aaron Wilson of KPRC 2 Houston, the Packers waived wide receiver Jadon Janke and defensive lineman Jeremiah Martin with injury settlements on Monday. The Packers have also announced their decision to waive/injured Janke.
Janke had signed with the Packers in May, looking to contend for one of the depth spots in their receiving rotation during offseason workouts and this summer’s training camp. He went undrafted in 2024 and has yet to play in an NFL game, but he had 170 career receptions for 2,800 yards and 30 touchdowns in four seasons at South Dakota State.
The Packers will only free up one spot on their 90-man offseason roster with Monday’s moves because they waived Martin from their injured reserve list. They had originally waived the third-year defender from their roster with an injury designation on May 29, but he reverted back to IR for them after he passed through the waivers unclaimed.
Because Janke reached an injury settlement with the Packers before the team waived him, he is not eligible to revert to the team’s injured reserve as Martin did previously.
Jadon Janke Faced Uphill Battle to Make 2025 Roster
Janke’s departure takes another youngster with potential out of the mix in the Packers’ receiving corps in 2025, but he would have struggled to make the 53-man roster — and perhaps even the practice squad — coming out of camp, given their depth at receiver.
The Packers still have 12 wide receivers signed to their roster after waiving Janke. They welcome back every notable contributor from their 2024 roster, including Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson, Dontayvion Wicks, Bo Melton and Malik Heath. They also retained Cornelius Johnson and Julian Hicks from last year’s practice squad.
Additionally, the Packers have several new faces vying for roles in the 2025 rotation. They signed veteran wideout and return man Mecole Hardman Jr. in free agency. They also added three new rookies, investing first- and third-round selections in Matthew Golden and Savion Williams, respectively, and signing undrafted rookie Sam Brown Jr.
For some receivers, a roster spot is a virtual lock, but the Packers could still see some intense camp battles for the bottom spots in the rotation. Melton, Heath and Hardman could quite possibly wind up competing for one roster spot between them, depending on whether the Packers plan to keep six or seven wide receivers on their active roster.
Either way, the ample depth puts younger roster hopefuls at a distinct disadvantage.
Packers WR Rotation Could Stay Fluid Early in 2025
Whether the Packers start the season with six or seven wide receivers on their active roster, it could take until the middle of the season for their rotation to fully solidify.
Some of the fluidity relates to the rookies. The Packers drafted Golden and Williams with high expectations for what they can bring to their offense, but they may not feel the need to rush them into premier roles with other capable talents such as Reed and Doubs on the roster. Conversely, if veterans struggle early, the Packers could gradually start to lean into their rookies if they show a thorough understanding of the offense.
There is also the Watson of it all for the Packers. Watson tore his ACL in the Packers’ regular-season finale against the Chicago Bears in early January, and while head coach Matt LaFleur believes he is “ahead of schedule” in his recovery, he could still begin the 2025 season on the PUP list, which would require him to miss the first four games.
Inevitably, Watson will return to the lineup, and the Packers will need to adjust when he does. That could mean redividing the target shares among their main contributors. It could also mean the outright demotion of a depth receiver to the team’s practice squad.
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