The Packers have gone most of the season without wide receiver Jayden Reed, who underwent clavicle and foot surgeries in mid-September. With the Packers off to a 5-2-1 start and leading the ultra-competitive NFC North, Reed could act as a second-half reinforcement for the team. Reed’s foot injury has fully healed, though his clavicle isn’t 100% yet, Tom Silverstein of the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports.
Thanks in part to Reed’s three-catch, 45-yard, one-touchdown effort in Week 1, the Packers coasted to a 27-13 win over the division rival Lions. They’re due to face each other again on Thanksgiving. If Reed doesn’t return in Detroit, he should be back in Week 14 against another NFC North foe, Chicago, according to Silverstein. In the meantime, he’ll undergo weekly MRIs on his collarbone before the Packers’ medical staff clears him.
With Romeo Doubs, Matthew Golden, Christian Watson, Dontayvion Wicks, Malik Heath, and Savion Williams, the Reed-less Packers still have a crowded receiving corps. Doubs is the only member of the group who has posted strong production over the entire season, though Watson has put up quality numbers in his first two games back from the torn ACL he suffered last year. Furthermore, quarterback Jordan Love lost one of his main targets, breakout tight end Tucker Kraft, to a season-ending ACL tear in a stunning home loss to Carolina last week. That’s all the more reason the Packers will gladly welcome back Reed, who averaged 60 catches, 825 yards, and seven TDs per year over his first two NFL seasons.
Like Reed, defensive end Brenton Cox is also trending toward a return, per Silverstein. Cox suffered a groin injury in Week 1, leading the Packers to place him on IR. They haven’t opened his 21-day practice window yet, but once they do, he shouldn’t require the full three weeks before reentering the Packers’ defensive mix. The third-year man totaled four sacks in just seven games in 2024. When healthy, he’ll add to Green Bay’s pass-rushing choices behind Micah Parsons, Rashan Gary, Lukas Van Ness, and Kingsley Enagbare. Teams approached the Packers about their edge surplus before the Nov. 4 deadline, but they rebuffed those clubs, Silverstein reports.
While the news is positive with Reed and Cox, there doesn’t appear to be a return in sight for injured running back MarShawn Lloyd. A third-round pick from USC in 2024, Lloyd played just one game as a rookie on account of multiple ailments (including appendicitis). This season hasn’t gone any better for Lloyd, who has spent all of it on IR with hamstring and groin injuries.
Lloyd has visited specialists to get the bottom of his issues, which Silverstein writes may be the result of a knee injury he suffered in college. The Packers still have high hopes for the speedy Lloyd, who they hope will serve as a capable complement to Josh Jacobs and Emanuel Wilson, but they’re leery of activating him until they’re sure he’s healthy.
Switching gears to special teams, kicker Brandon McManus has disappointed since re-signing with the Packers on a three-year, $15.3MM deal last offseason. After missing only one of his 21 field goal tries and knocking in all 30 extra points last year, McManus has gone 11 of 16 on FGs (a dismal 68.8%) and 15 of 16 on PATs this season. The 34-year-old, who injured his quad in October, has missed three game-tying or game-winning kicks. He failed to convert a 43-yarder in a three-point loss last week.
Despite McManus’ struggles, his job isn’t in jeopardy yet (via Michael David Smith of Pro Football Talk). While the Packers brought in Lucas Havrisik as insurance last month, head coach Matt LaFleur said that McManus will retain his position heading into a crucial game against the Eagles on Monday night.