After drafting Matthew Golden in the first round of April's draft, it felt like the Green Bay Packers almost had too much depth at wide receiver, to the point where fans were wondering which of Jayden Reed, Romeo Doubs, Christian Watson and Dontayvion Wicks might become trade bait to patch holes elsewhere.
But these roster crunches have a way of sorting themselves out, as the old saying goes. And sure enough, what was once a position of abundance has now become a real question mark on the eve of the 2025 regular season. The Packers announced on Tuesday afternoon that Watson was likely headed to the PUP list, while Reed was seen in a walking boot over the weekend. And now, the oft-injured Doubs is once again battling health issues, as a balky back cut short his most recent practice.
Romeo Doubs is down. Small collision with Evan Williams on a deep incompletion and Doubs hit the ground. Very, very slow to get up. Appears to be his lower back.
— Matt Schneidman (@mattschneidman) August 12, 2025
That's three players who were expected to be key targets for Jordan Love this season, and now the availability of all three is in serious question for Week 1. (Doubs later clarified that his back issue wasn't too serious, but given his lengthy injury history, you'll forgive Packers fans for having a hard time counting on him to be in the lineup.) Suddenly, Green Bay's options are dwindling, and that might put the team in an uncomfortable situation: having to rely on a rookie to carry an offense with Super Bowl expectations.
Another Romeo Doubs injury puts even more pressure on Matthew Golden
None of which is a reflection on Golden or his future in the NFL. He's an exciting prospect, and the reports on him have been glowing from pretty much the moment he set foot on the practice field for Green Bay.
But the learning curve is steep, and it's asking a lot of any rookie to immediately step in as a primary target. At full health, the Packers would be able to ease Golden in a bit, rotating him with a deep group of weapons and allowing him to play to his strengths without having his weaknesses exposed.
Now, though, they might not have that luxury. Watson and Reed are likely out for Week 1, at the very least, and while Doubs may have avoided anything serious on Tuesday, injuries have dogged him at every point of his young career to date. It's not too farfetched to imagine that it'll be Golden, Wicks and rookie Savion Williams lining up alongside Love come September. That is ... a harrowing thought, even if Golden and Williams have bright futures ahead of them.