The Packers are running out of time, but there are still some WR options on the market
The Green Bay Packers lost wide receiver Christian Watson not only for the playoffs, but potentially for some or the entire 2025 season as well. Even though they feel confident about their receiving room anyway, Watson offers a specific skillset that's hard to replace. Moreover, the Packers now have only five active receivers on the […]
The Green Bay Packers lost wide receiver Christian Watson not only for the playoffs, but potentially for some or the entire 2025 season as well. Even though they feel confident about their receiving room anyway, Watson offers a specific skillset that's hard to replace.
Moreover, the Packers now have only five active receivers on the 53-man roster — Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs, Dontayvion Wicks, Malik Heath, and Bo Melton. On the practice squad, the only alternatives are converted quarterback Alex McGough and undrafted rookies Julian Hicks and Cornelius Johnson.
The Packers have until Wednesday at 3pm (CT) to add external players in time for the playoffs respecting NFL rules, so it's a run to find options who could impact the roster right away.
"Yes, that's something that Gutey and I talked about this morning," head coach Matt LaFleur said on Monday. "We are looking at everything right now."
On Saturday, the Packers placed cornerback Jaire Alexander on injured reserve. When they do the same with Watson, there will be two available roster spots.
The free agent pool is dry right now. The best options are players like Chase Claypool (whom the Packers tried to acquire in 2022), Odell Beckham, and Willie Snead. Claypool has some familiarity with the scheme, since he played for Luke Getsy on the Chicago Bears and for Mike McDaniel on the Miami Dolphins, playcallers who run a similar offensive structure. As free agents, these players could be added to the practice squad.
But there are more options on other teams' practice squads. At this point, some teams are already signing players who finished the season on the PS to future deals, and that complicates things to a certain degree. For example, Samori Toure would be a solid option, but he signed a future deal with the Chicago Bears.
PS options
Going through other teams' practice squads, there are some wide receivers who have played within the Packers' offensive scheme or the same tree, which would help the transition and favor an immediate impact.
These options include Equanimeous St. Brown (New Orleans Saints), Russell Gage (San Francisco 49ers), Ronnie Bell (San Francisco 49ers), Isaiah McKenzie (Miami Dolphins), and Quintez Cephus (Los Angeles Rams).
There are some other players who would be more of mid- or long-term additions, maybe more focused on 2025, like Donovan Peoples-Jones (Detroit Lions), KJ Hamler (Buffalo Bills), AT Perry (Denver Broncos), and Tyquan Thornton (Kansas City Chiefs).
Thornton is particularly interesting because his best trait is speed, which is something the Packers need without Watson. Perry has the prototypical Packers type. So far, though, both of these players haven't produced at the level their pre-draft hype would indicate.
Other veterans like Phillip Dorsett (Atlanta Falcons), Marquez Callaway (Tampa Bay Buccaneers), Laviska Shenault (Jacksonville Jaguars), and Isaiah Hodgins (New York Giants) could also be signed.
It's hard to find an immediate contributor so late in the season, but the wide receiver group is actually deep enough to make some interesting discussions.
Christian Watson’s injury will test the Packers’ wide receiver depth at the most important moment
Green Bay has five WRs left on the 53-man roster
