Top Packers Playmaker Suffers Broken Collarbone Against Commanders

The Green Bay Packers lost one of their premier playmakers against the Washington Commanders when standout receiver Jayden Reed suffered a broken collarbone on Thursday night.

“He’s going to miss a lot of time,” coach Matt LaFleur said after the 27-18 victory moved his team to 2-0. “Unfortunately, he’ll be down for quite some time. We’ll see how fast he can recover and heal and, certainly, I would expect him back at some point this season, but, obviously, it’s a big blow to us.”

A second-round pick in 2023, Reed as a rookie led the Packers with 64 receptions and 793 yards and was tied for the lead with eight touchdowns. In 2024, he led the team again with 55 receptions for 857 yards and was second with six touchdowns.

On the opening possession against the Commanders, Reed on third-and-9 caught a 39-yard touchdown pass from Jordan Love by the sideline in the end zone. Safety Quan Martin tried to prevent the completion and landed on top of Reed.

Love ran to the end zone to celebrate with Reed, then stopped for a moment when he saw a flag for offensive holding on the field. When he noticed Reed was still on the turf, he ran the rest of the way to the end zone.

Reed stayed down for a couple minutes before walking to the sideline and, eventually, going to the locker room. He watched the second half from the sideline, with his arm appearing to be in a sling under a hoodie.

“It’s tough,” Love said. “Any time somebody gets injured during the game, it’s tough. I don’t know how long his timeline will be and how long he’ll be out, but we’ve got other guys that can step up and make big-time plays. But that right there was a huge play and that’s what J-Reed does for our offense is he’s another big-play guy we’ve got. It’s tough, it sucks and we’ll see what the timeline is for him and try to get him back.”

Reed was the 50th pick of the 2023 draft and the sixth receiver off the board. Entering this week’s games, Reed from that receiver class was second with 122 receptions, fifth with 1,695 yards, second with 15 touchdowns, fifth with 13.9 yards per catch and third with a 70.1 catch percentage.

He got off to red-hot start last season but faded down the stretch. Still, according to Pro Football Focus, among 84 receivers who were targeted 50 times, Reed was sixth with 7.1 yards after the catch per catch. Among 72 receivers who were targeted at least 10 times on passes thrown 20-plus yards down field, he was first by a wide margin with a catch rate of 80.0 percent (12-of-15).

Regardless of where he lined up, he was No. 1 with a 137.5 passer rating when targeted. Of 41 players who were targeted at least 30 times in the slot, he was first with a 137.1 passer rating.

The Packers had an abundance of talent at receiver, but Christian Watson remains on the physically unable to perform list while coming back from last year’s torn ACL.

Heading into next week’s game at Cleveland, the Packers will lean on Romeo Doubs, who caught three passes for 28 yards and one touchdown against the Commanders, Dontayvion Wicks, who caught four passes for 44 yards against the Commanders, and rookie first-round pick Matthew Golden, who might have had two long touchdown catches had Love thrown better passes.

Malik Heath had a 37-yard catch and rookie third-round pick Savion Williams had two runs for 24 yards.

It also might mean more opportunities for Tucker Kraft, who was dominant with six catches for 124 yards and one touchdown. His previous career high was his 88-yard game at the Rams last year.

“Whatever I can do to just help the team win. That is my main goal,” he said. “I have individual aspirations, but I don’t want them to get in the way of what we have in store for the team, as well. So, by moving the ball, moving the sticks, being aggressive with the ball in my hands, that’s a way for me to bring momentum to the offense and for us to continue to keep it rolling.”

At some point – perhaps after he’s eligible to return after Week 4 – Watson will be back on the field. Regardless, Reed will be missed.

“He’s a guy who’s a catalyst for our offense and our football team, quite frankly, the energy he brings and he’s a dawg,” LaFleur said. “He comes out there and he’s going to compete and he plays tough, physical, and he’s a playmaker. Fortunately for us, I feel like we have a pretty deep wide receiver room and there’s going to be opportunities there for other guys to step up and take advantage of.”