Bo Melton shines and earns bigger role among Packers wide receivers
Could you believe that the first Green Bay Packers player to reach 100 receiving yards in a game this season is not even a member of the 53-man roster? That's how crazy the season has been for this young offense. There are opportunities for everybody, and first-year starting quarterback Jordan Love will throw to whoever […]
Could you believe that the first Green Bay Packers player to reach 100 receiving yards in a game this season is not even a member of the 53-man roster? That's how crazy the season has been for this young offense. There are opportunities for everybody, and first-year starting quarterback Jordan Love will throw to whoever is open.
On Sunday night, Bo Melton was open all the time. One day earlier, he had been elevated from the practice squad for gameday, running out of elevations for the season. And he finished the game with six receptions for 105 yards and a touchdown. The performance compounded a strong game against the Carolina Panthers next week, making a strong case for a full-time promotion to the activer roster.
"He stepped up huge," quarterback Jordan Love said after the game. "It's always the next man up mentality. Bo has been a guy that has worked every week, even when he's not been in the role. He's working on scout teams, trying to find ways to get better. It's not a surprise to anybody why he goes out there and does what he does. He did a lot of good things."
Long road
The chance to show what a player can do is not always easy for late-rounders. And even though Melton was drafted by the Seattle Seahawks in the seventh round of last year's draft, he didn't make the initial 53-man roster in Seattle. As a rookie, he was signed to the practice squad, without any appearances for the team.
On December 27, a little more than one year ago, Green Bay called. They wanted to sign him to their active 53-man roster from the Seahawks practice squad. He moved to Wisconsin with renewed dreams.
It was a long-term move by Packers general manager Brian Gutekunst, though. In 2022, Melton was inactive until the end of the season. He spent training camp and preseason with the Packers this year, and ended up being cut again.
Melton spent the entire year on the practice squad, but that hasn't diminished his motivation to make an impact.
On November 22, he was promoted to the 53-man roster and played only two offensive snaps against the Detroit Lions, without any targets. He was released over the following week and brought back to the practice squad. In this process, every NFL team had the opportunity to claim him on waivers, but no one did.
He then was elevated three times for the last three games. In these, he combined for 11 receptions, 156 yards and a touchdown.
"It's been a long road," Melton said after a surprising stellar performance on primetime.
On Monday, Bo Melton reverts back to the practice squad. But the Packers can't elevate him for gameday anymore, and his high-end performance certainly makes him a more valuable piece.
He will most likely be on the 53-man roster next week, when Green Bay faces the Chicago Bears for a playoff spot. For a receiver living the crazy life of a fringe-roster player in the NFL, Bo Melton gave a jump. A jump that Jordan Love recognized, and which the Packers management took notes.
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