Optimism was the targeted mood for the Green Bay Packers this week. Instead, Tuesday felt like a sequence of bad news playing on repeat. Trainers were busier than position coaches, helmets were scattered on the sideline, and one by one, the Packers’ wide receivers were dropping out. There wasn’t a single freak play, just a slow bleed over days, the kind of attrition that makes even the most confident locker room feel uneasy. So what will Matt LaFleur do now?
Yet, the WR situation was the second gut punch; the first came straight to the core of the Packers’ squad as they lost to the New York Jets 10-30, a massive difference to say the least. The team, including the WRs, had 13 starters missing from the game. LB Quay Walker, CB Nate Hobbs, Safety Xavier McKinney, and OL Rasheed Walker were all absent from the game due to injuries.
The missing WR names tell the story further as to why their offense failed so horribly. Christian Watson remains stuck on the PUP list, Dontayvion Wicks (calf) and Jayden Reed (foot) were already absent, and even rookie Savion Williams was seen on the sideline with trainers and didn’t return. But then came the biggest hit on LaFleur’s hopes as Romeo Doubs, the reliable, all-purpose target, left after a play and was later spotted heading to the locker room with what appeared to be a back injury.
Host of the Pack-A-Day Radio Show, and a beat Packers journalist, Andy Herman, broke the news on X, “The WR room is being brutalized right now. Watson – PUP Wicks & Reed already out. Savion Williams looked to be off to the side with something earlier and has not returned. Doubs just went out with what looked like a back injury.” That’s not just depth, that’s the core of the position group. In one week, the Packers went from having a young, promising receiving corps to a skeleton crew in camp.
The WR room is being brutalized right now.
Watson – PUP
Wicks & Reed already out.
Savion Williams looked to be off to the side with something earlier and has not returned.
Doubs just went out with what looked like a back injury.
— Andy Herman (@AndyHermanNFL) August 12, 2025
These setbacks are incredibly damaging to Green Bay’s squad. Instead of building chemistry between Jordan Love and his first-team weapons, the reps now go to backups who may or may not be part of the Week 1 plan. Certain route combinations, timing patterns, and offensive installs are shelved because the receivers who run them the best aren’t available. Putting these factors into consideration gives less perspective but more questions as to how Matt LaFleur will handle this team moving forward.
But the heaviest blow remaining to unfold for the Packers came at too high a price. As this one injury can ruin their whole season ahead.
QB Jordan Love suffers a thumb injury amid practice
If the WR situation wasn’t enough, the day’s other headline added more weight on LaFleur’s shoulders: Matt LaFleur confirmed quarterback Jordan Love underwent a procedure on his left thumb earlier that morning. Love had been spotted with heavy tape on his hand following a preseason sack against the Jets, and speculation about the severity built quickly. General manager Brian Gutekunst later explained that Love had a ligament issue in his non-throwing hand and that surgery was the fastest path to a full recovery.
The third-year quarterback has established himself as a franchise player for the Packers. Even as they landed at 3rd in the NFC North with 11 wins and 6 losses last season, Love was exceptional. In 2024, Love had a passer rating of 96.7 with 3,389 yards of passing. He recorded a staggering 25 touchdowns and 11 interceptions in 15 games, proving these numbers represent a quarterback finally finding rhythm after years as Aaron Rodgers’ understudy. However, the injury being to his non-throwing hand is important: it’s unlikely to affect his passing motion, but it can still disrupt ball security, handoffs, and comfort under center. So it’s for the best that the Packers keep him at bay until he’s fully recovered.
So the quarterback isn’t there to throw. And the receivers who would be catching those throws aren’t there either. That means the Packers’ offensive install is running at far from full capacity. Plays that require precise timing, especially in LaFleur’s motion-heavy scheme, can’t be properly repped without the intended personnel. If Love returns on schedule and at least two or three of the injured receivers are cleared before Week 1, this becomes a frustrating preseason memory. If the recovery timelines stretch, Green Bay could enter September massively less prepared than they had planned.
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