Green Bay Packers wide receiver Jayden Reed will miss significant time after breaking his collarbone in Week 2’s win over the Washington Commanders, but his postgame message to concerned fans came with a jolt of optimism.
Reed broke his collarbone on the Packers’ opening drive of Thursday night’s win while trying to catch a deep touchdown pass from quarterback Jordan Love. Reed stretched out to secure the 39-yard reception and crossed the pylon, but safety Quan Martin — who had initiated contact before the goal line — brought him down hard on his back.
A holding penalty on Packers rookie right tackle Anthony Belton also nullified Reed’s touchdown, adding insult to injury on a drive that would eventually end scoreless.
Reed was quickly ruled out for the remainder of the game and later appeared on the sideline with his right shoulder in a sling. Afterward, Packers head coach Matt LaFleur confirmed Reed broke his collarbone and would miss “a lot of time” while recovering.
Even still, Reed, eager to give fans some reassurance, sounded off on social media after the injury with a direct, three-word message about his expected return later this season.
“I’ll be back,” Reed wrote Thursday night on X with a folded-hands emoji at the end.
Matt LaFleur Optimistic About Jayden Reed’s Return
Even after a 27-18 victory that pushed the Packers to 2-0, LaFleur didn’t mince words about how much losing Reed to injury hurts the offense — and the team, as a whole.
“He’s gonna miss a lot of time, unfortunately,” LaFleur said in Thursday’s postgame. “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. He’s a guy who’s a catalyst for our offense and our football team, quite frankly, the energy he brings, and he’s a dog.”
Fortunately, the silver lining in LaFleur’s comments is that he expects Reed will return to the field for them before the end of the 2025 season, which is encouraging news for a team that has looked like the NFC’s Super Bowl frontrunner over the first two weeks.
According to NFL Network’s Ian Rapoport, the “hope” is that Reed will need six to eight weeks to recover from his injury, which would mean a potential November return date. And with the Packers on bye in Week 5, it is possible he won’t even need to miss half of the regular season. Either way, though, he is heading for the injured reserve list now.
Packers Have Depth to Withstand Losing Jayden Reed
Losing Reed for a significant period of time does wound the Packers offense, but it also puts a different spin on the offseason conversations about their ample receiving depth.
After analysts spent the past several months arguing that the Packers should trade one of their wide receivers to resolve the positional logjam, the team’s decision to stand pat looks wise and will now likely help them hold down the fort until Reed is ready to make his return to the field.
Dontayvion Wicks, a 2023 fifth-round pick, is likely the next man up behind Reed for the offense, but the Packers will also have both of their rookie draft picks — first-round selection Matthew Golden and third-rounder Savion Williams — to consider for larger roles. Malik Heath, who caught a 37-yard pass in Thursday’s win, is also an option.
Additionally, the Packers could weigh the possibility of promoting veteran Mecole Hardman Jr. from the practice squad to take Reed’s roster spot, which he will vacate when the team eventually places him on injured reserve. Hardman did not make the 53-man roster coming out of camp, but he has ample experience to boost their ranks.
The Packers could also return speedster wide receiver Christian Watson in the coming weeks. He has been recovering from last year’s torn ACL on the physically unable to perform (PUP) list, but he is eligible for activation starting in Week 5 during the bye.
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