Packers receivers show out vs. Bengals during 36-19 win

For a preseason game, Friday night's matchup between the Green Bay Packers and Cincinnati Bengals was really fun.A big part of the good-time equation was the Packers offense. The unit provided plenty of big plays throughout the night, which was obviously encouraging to see even if ultimately, it won't have hardly any bearing on the […]

Evan Winter — NFL Managing Editor

Aug 12, 2023 8:50 AM EDT

Green Bay Packers wide receiver Samori Toure (83) competes a catch as Cincinnati Bengals cornerback Allan George (42) defends in the second quarter during a Week 1 NFL preseason game between the Green Bay Packers and the Cincinnati Bengals, Friday, Aug. 11, 2023, at Paycor Stadium in Cincinnati Kareem Elgazzar/The Enquirer / USA TODAY NETWORK

For a preseason game, Friday night's matchup between the Green Bay Packers and Cincinnati Bengals was really fun.

A big part of the good-time equation was the Packers offense. The unit provided plenty of big plays throughout the night, which was obviously encouraging to see even if ultimately, it won't have hardly any bearing on the regular season.

Regardless, the Packers already have a tough decision on their hands when it comes to figuring out the bottom of the wide receiver room and that's because the receivers showed out on Friday night against the Bengals.

Dontayvion Wicks came up with a big 19-yard catch on 3rd and 7 and then later exploded for a 47-yard catch-and-run. He led all receivers with three receptions for 68-yards on the night and looked just as smooth on the field as practice reports have stated.

Samori Toure looked great, as well. He finished the night with three receptions for 56-yards that included two plays of 25+ yards. One of which was a 28-yard gain on 3rd and 9.

Malik Heath also showed some skills and Jayden Reed came up with a big catch on 3rd and 4. In all, it was a very successful night for the Packers' receivers.

Christian Watson and Romeo Doubs are obviously the top-2 receiving options on this roster and it's safe to assume Reed will take the No. 3/slot receiver job, but Toure is certainly doing everything he can to make that an unsafe assumption.

Toure would probably be considered the fourth guy, but he's obviously going to have to fend off both Wicks and Heath.

There's an underrated factor that will help define the Packers receiver room

It's a good problem for the Packers to have. The key, here, is special teams play.

Because once you get past WR4, it's all about who can make the biggest impact on teams. Think about it: NFL teams rarely used five-receiver sets. Therefore, receivers that are fifth or lower need to be able to contribute on teams so they can justify their Sunday roster spot. Otherwise, they'll represent a healthy scratch, which obviously isn't ideal.

But, per the Packers-Bengals gamebook, Toure and Heath are the only receivers of the aforementioned bunch to record any special teams snaps (2 and 1, respectively). Bo Melton, who finished the night with one reception for three-yards, led all wideouts with 12 special teams snaps.

So, the Packers don't have a clear-cut decider when it comes to untangling the bottom of the receiver room, which is only going to make their future decision tougher. But hey, tough decisions on cut day is a great problem to have.

It'll be interesting to see if the Packers get these guys on the field more during teams next week against the Patriots. If they do, it'll be a big piece of the puzzle when it comes to determining who makes the team.