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Reed may very well be the best receiver on the team, but he’s an awkward fit in the LaFleur offense.
I want to be clear from the start that this is not an anti-Jayden Reed article. Reed was easily the Green Bay Packers’ best receiver in 2024, leading the team in receptions and averaging an extremely robust 15.6 yards per reception. He also led the qualifying receivers in catch percentage, and only Tucker Kraft had more receiving touchdowns. Reed also led the team in receptions and touchdowns in 2023, and he’s clearly one of Jordan Love’s favorite targets. If asked to name the best receiver on the team, it would be difficult to name anyone other than Reed.
But as the 2025 season gets closer, there are some indicators that Reed could find himself as something of an odd man out. For starters, Reed’s targets started to tail off over the course of the season as an increase in man defenses and injuries to other receivers brought additional defensive focus to the speedy slot receiver.
Reed is also the least versatile of the Packers’ receivers, as he played over 75% of his snaps in the slot last season and struggles with clean releases outside. He’s good enough that it’s worth working him onto the field, but that lack of versatility does come at a very real cost, as running plays are not as threatening with Reed on the field, and he is ill-suited as one of the outside options in 12 and 21 personnel groupings. Compounding all of these issues, Reed’s 14.5% drop rate was objectively terrible, and only looks reasonable compared to Dontayvion Wicks.
While these negatives exist, they’re hardly new, and none of them kept Reed off of the field in 2024. So why would 2025 be any different? First, there is now competition in the slot. The Packers spent a first-round pick on Matthew Golden, and while Golden hasn’t played a down yet in the NFL, he offers the versatility that Reed lacks. Golden primarily played outside in college at Texas, but he’s on the smaller side and possesses the necessary route running to play any position. Golden will probably spend a fair amount of time in the slot as well, and importantly, when the Packers motion Reed from slot to outside, they make a sacrifice. That will likely not be the case with Golden (although this is obviously speculative).
And while Golden and Reed could play together, the Packers love their receivers to block. Matt LaFleur is unlikely to sacrifice too much heft in order to get the speedy duo out there together on a regular basis.
Reed will also probably sacrifice some of his gadget-play snaps to third-round rookie Savion Williams. Now, this isn’t entirely a net negative for Reed, as he was injury-prone on jet sweeps and push passes as a smaller player in the land of giants. Williams is a physical monster who ran almost exclusively gadget plays in college, and if he’s...
