Early returns show Packers getting exactly what they needed from young weapon as injuries change his offensive role
Savion Williams barely saw the field as a rookie, and Green Bay has handed the versatile second-year receiver a far bigger role after two key injuries.
The Green Bay Packers needed someone to step up at wide receiver, and the initial evidence points to former third-round pick Savion Williams. Over his first two games of the 2026 season after starting the year on injured reserve, Williams has been an important supporting piece on the roster and a clear No. 3 receiver behind Christian Watson and Matthew Golden.
Williams had a small role as a rookie last season. The Packers don’t tend to give much space to rookies at all, and even Golden ran into that problem last year. Green Bay also had plenty of weapons in the wide receiver room, which left little room for a raw, developmental player.
The situation is different now. Jayden Reed is out for the season with a neck injury, and Skyy Moore is on injured reserve with an ankle issue. That opened the door for Williams, and he has walked right through it.
Production and efficiency
Over the past two games, Williams has seven receptions for 79 yards. That is already more than he produced in his entire rookie season in yardage, when he caught 10 passes for 78 yards in 12 games.
Williams has been targeted 17 times in his NFL career and has caught all 17 of those passes, including seven of seven this season. That rate isn’t necessarily sustainable, but it is still impressive from a player who entered the league with questions about his polish as a receiver.
He hasn’t scored a touchdown yet in 2026. Still, the young weapon has provided exactly the type of complementary production the offense needed. Williams can stretch opposing defenses horizontally, and he has been especially useful on routes over the middle of the field. Against the Detroit Lions, the Packers converted a fourth-down throw from quarterback Jordan Love to Williams on a crossing route, and he made the catch.
A real jump in usage and an expanded role
Savion Williams has played 80 offensive snaps over the past two games, which represents 56% of the team’s snaps in that span. As a rookie, he played 91 snaps all season, just 12% of the offensive snaps.
The Lions game made his role clear. Williams played 40 offensive snaps on Sunday, or 60% of the total, behind only Golden (57 snaps) and Watson (54). No other wide receiver had more than 13 snaps. Bo Melton played 13, and J. Michael Sturdivant played four.
That doesn’t mean Williams will be on the field all the time. The Packers use plenty of multiple-tight end sets, so they won’t line up with three receivers on every snap. But when Green Bay does go to three-receiver looks, Williams has been the go-to option alongside Golden and Watson.
Williams was more of a gadget player during his rookie season. He still has that element in his game, with four rushing attempts for 13 yards (3.3 yards per carry). That versatility is the main reason the Packers drafted him in the first place. In 2025, he even took a snap as a wildcat quarterback.
This year, though, the Packers have trusted him to function as a true wide receiver. He still offers the ability to carry the ball and create in different ways, but his route running and his reliability as a pass catcher have made the biggest difference.
“I thought Savion Williams came in and provided a huge spark for us,” head coach Matt LaFleur said after the Dallas Cowboys game last week. “He made a ton of critical plays.”
Golden and Watson will remain the primary passing options for Green Bay, along with tight end Tucker Kraft. But the offense needs reliable pieces around them, especially with Reed and Moore out. If Williams keeps producing with this level of efficiency, while also blocking and expanding what LaFleur can do with his personnel, that will be more than enough to justify the third-round pick and give the Packers a viable complementary weapon for the rest of the season.
